


Mega Man Neo: Legend Reborn

by MetalSonic30



Category: Rockman ZX | Mega Man ZX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Sidequel, Spin-Off
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 07:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17997263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalSonic30/pseuds/MetalSonic30
Summary: It is the year 2545. Humans and Reploids have finally obtained the peace they've desired after countless wars, and now the differences between the two races are nearly nonexistent thanks to the Equality Law. However, peace is interrupted again by new evil forces.In Europe, Rokku Akihiro is a 13-year-old boy that goes on his own "adventure" two days after his Birthday. What was supposed to be a simple journey from his peaceful home to a city has suddenly changed into a genuine adventure upon meeting Rock Light, better known as Mega Man; a robot from the 21st Century. Together, they "megamerge", becoming the titular Mega Man Neo, and they must use their combined power to put a stop to impending evil that threatens the lives of many.In Japan, a 16-year-old kunoichi known as "Shade" is traveling far to put an end to the mastermind that's plotting a heinous plan that puts the world at risk. But she finds difficulty in this task, and seeks the help of a "Chosen One that has a pure heart".Will these two stop the mastermind and save their world?





	1. They Call Him Rokku Akihiro

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story as part of "Mega Man ZX Chronicles", a fan fic series that takes place in an AU of MMZX, where story elements of the original ZX series are altered in various ways. This story, "Mega Man Neo", takes place a month after Vent and Aile defeated Serpent in Cinq Ville. This story will primarily feature Original Characters mostly created by me, but there will be some canon characters in the story, such as the aforementioned "Mega Man/Rock Light". 
> 
> This story is also posted on FanFiction.NET and DeviantART. If you want to see art related to Mega Man Neo, such as what the characters look like, follow the link below.
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/metalsonic30/favourites/72085722/Mega-Man-Neo
> 
> I hope you enjoy~

Dark clouds overcame the previously blue sky. The sun was slowly being consumed by the thunderous mist. The heavy rain soon followed, pouring towards the vast metropolis down below.  
  
The metropolis itself was in peril, however. Large fires and smoke were in various sectors of the city and mechaniloids of various sizes roamed the ruined streets. These were Mavericks…  
  
Innocent people, human and reploid, fled for their lives. But while the innocents ran away, a group of soldiers clad in aquatic blue stepped forth with their giant firearms in hand. They took aim and immediately fired at the Mavericks. The Maverick Foot Soldiers, the Galleons, fired back while aerial mechaniloids such the King Flyer and Cutting Gyros took the skies to get an advantage in the air. The soldiers were not fazed in the slightest by the Mavericks’ strategy and took them down with their combined efforts. But, more Mavericks would appear, and the soldiers would continue to shoot at them.  
  
While these brave soldiers fought the Mavericks, one individual was standing before three other individuals with similar appearances. They all wore some type of armor, and if a human or reploid was to look at them, they could potentially mistake them as Mavericks. But the blue one, however, could possibly be seen as some type of " _sentai hero_ ". The others, however, looked a little different. They too had a  _sentai_ appearance, but they weren’t completely... "heroes." Two out of the three looked like troublemakers or villains, while the other looked quite innocent in comparison. One was clad in red and black, the other was clad in light blue and white, and another clad in purple and gray. The red and purple ones were boys and the other was a girl.  
  
Nonetheless, the blue one had an arm cannon for his right hand and it was smoking. His face appeared to be rather youthful and filled with determination, but he looked very antagonized as his eyes darted between each of the three standing before them.  
  
The red one had flames emit from his gauntlets, the light blue one wielded a giant hammer with rainbow data energy swirling around the crystal end like a planet and the purple one had light blue glowing gauntlet wrist-blades.  
  
The Blue Fighter begins to sweat a little, sliding his left leg to get into a better battle stance. The trio seemed to be prepared for anything this hero was going to throw at them.  
  
The purple one's hand transforms into an arm-cannon and he points it at the Blue Fighter. "I am going to annihilate you now! Let's see your smirk now!"  
  
The girl "lightly" bopped the purple one's head with her giant hammer, making him wince in pain. She had an annoyed and upset look on her face. "I told you, we aren't going to kill him!"  
  
She then looked at the hero with a rather kind expression. "We're just going to...Umm, knock him out! Yeah, that's right!"  
  
The red one's hands transformed into giant mecha hands. He pounded his fists together with a sadistic grin. "Oh, I have no problem knocking him out!"  
  
_"Do I...Do I really have what it takes...?"_  The Blue Fighter asks himself, trying to keep his composure.  _"Am I truly capable of saving the world...?"_  
  
The Blue Fighter growled as the red one taunted him with his finger, tempting the hero to approach him. The tip of his arm cannon’s barrel started to glow a blue color, followed by the sound of something  _charging up._  
  
_"...Of course, I do. I_ have  _what it takes...! I made a promise to her that day..."_  
  
The Blue Fighter holds his arm cannon tightly. He adjusts his stance ever so slightly and takes his focus on the red one, having now conjured up a strategy to beat his foes.  
  
_"...And I’m not going to go back on my word!"_  
  
Once the charging sound is no more, the hero lifts his feet off the ground, rushing towards his opponents with a battle cry.  
  
**"Hyyyrraaaah!!"**

* * *

  **A Month Earlier...  
****June 25, 2545**

In the serene blue horizon, a female house sparrow descends peacefully towards a nearby tree branch, a pink worm in her mouth. The bird moves about, taking tiny little hops around the tree, going deeper into the greenhouse. Inside, the sparrow holds the worm above a nest filled with five baby sparrows. The babies all grab onto the worm, fighting over who gets what part of the worm. Suddenly, a male house sparrow enters the scene, holding two worms, one pink and one brown and pink, as if it's been in the dirt. The male sparrow tosses both worms into the nest, and the babies have no reason to fight anymore.

The grass was green, the flowers were like a rainbow in the sky, the clouds were beautiful, and everyone around this area was happy and so peaceful. This place of serenity was the country known as France; located in Europe.

There were rumors spreading that something big had gone on over at Cinq Ville, a city in America, involving the Slither Inc. corporation. Some say that the president of said company, Serpent, did something evil. Perhaps these are just rumors since Serpent is welcomed as a hero ever since he and his company unearthed ancient technology and even provided Europe and Asia with multiple energy sources while providing Cinq Ville with it. Serpent was known worldwide, but most people had their suspicions on the Reploid due to rumors from random strangers or even ex-members of Slither Inc.

However, these rumors turned out to be true and Serpent has died one month ago near the end of May. His company's status is currently unknown. However Legion is sorting out the company's fate.

The baby sparrows chirp in cheer, happy that they have gotten their breakfast. Suddenly, a window opens in a brown house. A red-head young woman with golden eyes opened the window, her arms spread out, holding the glass. She inhaled and exhaled happily as she smiled at the nearby sparrow family.

"...Today's a new day..."

The woman entered back into her home, looking around her living room, which was tidy as she had always expected it. The woman was wearing a white tank-top and black pajama pants. The woman appeared to be between ages 16 and 17. She looked at her heart-shaped clock above a nearby desk which read "7:33 AM". She sighed and headed towards the stairs and climbed. Upstairs was a bathroom and her room. She continued to go further upstairs, which led to an attic room. Up there, there was a Six-Shelf with the bottom shelf being a cabinet. On all of the shelves, aside from the cabinet, were books of multiple genres; adventure, mystery, suspense, hurt/comfort, friendship, fiction, nonfiction, you name it. It was like a mini-library.

The woman looked over to her right and smiled. There was a small bed over there, but really caught her attention was a young boy sleeping on top of the covers with an opened book covering his eyes. He snored quite peacefully. The boy had brown, slightly spiky hair. He had a white T-shirt with black pants. The boy had white and black socks on. His left leg was dangling off the bed while his right stayed where it was. She walked over to the boy, took the book off his face and shook his body softly. She opened her lips, speaking...

"...Hey, kid... You gotta wake up now..."

The boy shook around with a displeased groan. He wanted more sleep. The woman got up and smiled. She chuckled to herself as she stared at the sleeping boy.

"Poor kid... He must have spent all night reading my books..." she said. "Heh heh... I know the boy said he wanted to read my books, but I would have never expected him to read all night. He must love to read... That's the type of people I like... Smart and knowledgeable... His parents must be real proud of a guy like him..."

The boy suddenly yawned, slowly opening his light blue eyes as he looked over at the window on the right side. The sun beamed through the window as he stared at the glass. He looked over to his left and saw the woman staring at him. The woman quickly blinked as she instantly realized that the boy was awake.

"Oh, Rocky. You're awake." the woman exclaimed.

The boy sighed with a smile on his face.

"Cynthia, my name is  _Rokku_ , not  _'Rocky'_."

The girl, known as Cynthia, had a drop of sweat slide down her cheek as she had said his name incorrectly.

"Oops. Sorry kiddo!" Cynthia said rubbing the back of her head.

"It's okay Cynthia," Rokku said with a smile. "What's up?"

"It's time for you to go. Remember? You told me to wake you up at this specific time... Well, it's been 2 minutes since you didn't wake up." Cynthia explained.

"Oh, right! I gotta get going!" Rokku quickly jumped off the bed and stretched all about. As he was stretching around, Cynthia spoke up...

"If you want, you can take a shower. You know where the bathroom's at."

"Thanks!" Rokku said as he walked over to his bag. 

He pulled out a black T-shirt. He pulled out navy blue shorts, a belt with a light blue line, a white line, and black line, as well as a yellow hexagon shaped belt buckle, and the same pair of socks similar to what he had on. Rokku went downstairs and Cynthia followed. While Rokku went into the bathroom, Cynthia went into her room and towards her closet. She slid the closet open and brought out a white dry towel along with a white towel for washing. She closed the closet and went to the bathroom.

"Here." said Cynthia as she gave Rokku the towels.

"Thank you." Rokku said.

Rokku closed the door and locked it. Cynthia chuckled to herself as Rokku would actually lock the bathroom door.

Rokku sat his new clothes on the rack and turned on the water for a shower. While Rokku was taking a shower, Cynthia went into her room and undressed. She came out three minutes later with her hair tied into a ponytail (from the top). She had a green and gold turtleneck sweater on with a black, no sleeved bodysuit-like shirt underneath. She had her black fingerless gloves with the white fingertips on with white cuffs on the gloves. She had on purple pants with green civilian shoes on. She walked back upstairs and saw that the books Rokku was reading were all in a neat stack next to the bed. She grabbed the books and placed them back on the shelf according to category and in alphabetical order. She fixed up the bed nice and neat again.

Cynthia headed downstairs to her living room and towards a door. She opened the door and placed a stopper to keep it open. The room she was in was large and tons of computers were there. There was a back room that led to a workspace. Nearby the door leading outside was a brown desk with a CLOSED/OPEN sign sitting there. She looked at the clock and it read "7:36 AM".

Rokku had a fresh pair of black boxers. He had used the white dry towel drying off his hair. He used his hands to create the "spikiness" on his hair. He grinned at the mirror as his hair looked "awesome as always". He grabbed his shirt and threw it on along with his shorts, clicking his belt buckle to hold his shorts up. He unlocked and opened the bathroom door and headed upstairs to the attic again.

Once in the attic, the young boy went into his grey and black backpack and threw his dirty clothes into a smaller pocket for where he threw his dirty clothes in. He went over to the door and closed it slightly to reveal a hanger attached to the back of the door. This was where his blue collared jacket-hoodie was at. The jacket-hoodie had no sleeves and had a light blue collar (that looked like a handkerchief/bandanna strangely). He went into the coat pocket and pulled out two, big black fingerless gloves with a white cuff lock around the wrist area of the gloves. They had holes open for fingers to enter. Rokku threw the gloves on and his fingers were shown. These gloves did not have the white fingertips like most of them did, revealing that these were his actual fingers.

Rokku grabbed his jacket-hoodie and threw it on; It went down all the way to his waist. He then snatched his backpack and threw it on his back as he headed downstairs.

Cynthia grabbed the sign and placed it outside the door. It read OPEN. Cynthia went to her desk and sat on her swivel-chair, stretching out her arms. Rokku had grabbed his blue civilian shoes and threw them on his feet. He walked through the main door and stood over the desk. He had a smile on his face as he stared at Cynthia.

"I never did ask, but what do you do around here?" Rokku asked. "Is this place secretly a fast food restaurant or something? Or maybe a library?"

Cynthia giggled and reminded Rokku what her job was, "Rokku, my job is intense research, not order books for you like a library."

"You must be 17..." Rokku started. 

"16." Cynthia clarified. 

"16..." Rokku corrected, "... and you are doing "intense" research? In a top secret government sorta way?"

"Sure, let's go with that." Cynthia said with a snarky attitude.

"Anyway, thanks for allowing me to stay here for the night!" Rokku said.

"Eh, whatever. When I heard that name of yours, I knew you belonged to Cass and Joe." Cynthia smirked.

"Cass and Joe?" Rokku said in surprise, piecing together names Cynthia had said. By Cass, Cynthia meant 'Cassandra' and by Joe, she meant 'Joseph'. "That's my Mom and Dad! How do you know them?"

"Well, let's just say I'm a family friend." She replied with a sly smile.

"Hehehe, is that so?" Rokku asked. "Anyway, I better get going then!"

"Hold up a sec." Cynthia said. Rokku turned around and looked at Cynthia. 

"Wha?"

Cynthia reached into her desk's drawer and pulled out a red and green card with an upside down triangle symbol on the upper left-hand corner. It had Cynthia's phone number and her job, which was researching. Rokku looked at Cynthia who gave her a wink.

"Call me if you ever want to see me. I'm kinda like your Aunt, ya know~" She quipped. 

"A 16-year-old Aunt? Haha, sure! You bet~!" Rokku replied as he was heading to the door again. "Well, see you around!"

Cynthia waved to the teen with a smile.

A smile was on Rokku's face as he was walking outside. The entire area was a large open green field. It was quite beautiful. From afar, Rokku could see a large city. That was his next destination.

"Alright! My adventure awaits, so there's no time to waste!" Rokku cheered to himself.


	2. Wandering Shadow

**June 25, 2545  
**

_I was told that I could be whatever I wanted. Inspired by my own name and what I've observed, I chose to be a kunoichi. I made it my goal to become what I desired to be, training each and every day through the use of simulations and...actual opponents. It was what made me happy. The idea to learn Ninjutsu delivered passion to my life. My skills and motivation grew to be stronger than even I thought. I felt like it was my mission to become a kunoichi._

_He said I could be whoever I wanted. My Father gave me that choice..._

_However, I've come to learn that my father was not who I thought he was. He has filled my head with lies and deceit... I had to see for myself if the world that I lived on was exactly as he described. This world was recovering from the countless wars of the past._

_Despite how much I hate that man, he has been kind to me as I grew and evolved from a child to a young woman. He acted like a father should. He truly gave me a choice in how I live my life, and with that decision, I became a kunoichi. It was because of him that I formed a fighting style; Ansatsuryu Ninjutsu; an amalgamation of already existing martial art styles such as Ninjutsu and Bushin to name a few._

_My father even helped me by providing me with the armor I wear... Along with my blade; my katana infused with concentrated energy..._

_I have yet to create a name for it..._

_No matter how many good things my father has done for me, there is no doubt that he is an evil man. He has told me that this world was everything but good. I, however, beg to differ._

_I believe that there is hope in this world. Our world could not have survived for so long by ruthless actions. There had to be good people in this world. It wasn't just engulfed by darkness. Light existed too, I am sure._

_There was a benefit to my transformation. While the world was recovering from their most recent war, the resurgence of Mavericks arrived; Mavericks of all shapes and sizes roam throughout this world. With my power, I can eliminate them._

_My name is Shade, and I am a kunoichi._

* * *

  
Dark clouds formed throughout the night and the light coming from the bright moon beamed through them.

Somewhere in Japan, in this barren wasteland was but a single individual; A young woman, accompanied by decayed vegetation and cracks on the ground. Her eyes were closed as if she had little worries. She had the appearance of youthful yet mature teen with long black hair that extended down to her knees. In addition, she had light, fair skin, and, most noticeably, beautiful crimson eyes. She wore black circular ear-pieces with a red glowing light inside the center of both; however, her left ear plate had a black antenna with a white tip. She also wore a short, sleeveless, but simple black Japanese kimono shirt with white trims. Her kimono was held together by a purple girdle belt wrapped around her waist.

Much like any ninja, the woman wore black armor-like gauntlets and boots with some white pieces on them. Underneath her kimono, she wore a short-sleeved skin-tight bodysuit that extended to her belly. Following that was skin-tight shorts, leggings that extended beneath her knees, and long fingerless gloves underneath her gauntlets. The skin-tight clothing was a lighter shade of black but with a purple tint.

This girl had a long midnight scarf wrapped around her neck and covered her mouth. The scarf had two long tails that extended just a little bit past her own hair.

The teen, who was named Shade, walked in this arid land, her hands balled into fists. The ravenette opened her once closed eyes with an angered look on her face. She opened her hand, and all of a sudden, a katana materialized into her hand. She stopped right where she was. Her face expressed little emotion. It was as if she was prepared.

Shade thought she was alone in this wasteland, but she was wrong to think as such. Standing before her were a group of Mavericks; specifically Galleons of different types: Hunters, Assaults, etc.

The girl's grip on her katana tightened.

Shade rushed at the Galleons, easily dodging the enemy fire and slashing them to pieces. She swiftly evades a slice attack from a Galleon Assault's blade and merely kicks its chest. The force of her single kick makes the mechaniloid break down immediately.

_"Even though these Mavericks are a threat to humanity, they are incredibly weak."_  She thought, killing more of them with her katana.  _"With ease, I scatter their broken mechanical pieces. To me, they are nothing but fodder."_

Shade finished eliminating the group that was unfortunate enough to get in her way. With an annoyed sigh, the ravenette pressed onward, killing more Mavericks that crossed her path.

However, she would soon come to learn the reason as to why so many Mavericks were around. From afar, the kunoichi spotted a factory and Mavericks "patrolling" around it. If Mavericks were surrounding a factory like soldiers, then something bigger must be going on.

_"Perhaps what lies ahead may tell me what's going on here."_  Shade thought.

She sped towards the building as her decision was made clear. Silently, she dashed into the shadows by the building and kicked her feet up the wall and stopped once she reached the top; grabbing the edge and pulling herself onto the rooftops with ease. But she did not rest quite yet. Immediately after soundlessly landing, she bolted for another obstacle that cast a shadow. Shade knew that the shadows wouldn't hide her completely due to the fact that the Mavericks were capable of seeing in the dark, but she knew they wouldn't look in the shadows unless they had a reason to. Besides, she believed that her dark clothing would camouflage her.

On the roof of the second highest building within the factory's area, more Galleons were patrolling around.

Admittedly, Shade was a little caught off guard to find Mavericks on the roofs.

_"Whoever is in charge here doesn't want any unauthorized individuals in this building."_ Shade thought. She narrowed her eyes as she peeked around the corner to look for any openings that would lead her inside. On the roof she was currently on, there was a door that would more than likely lead her inside. However, she knew that would be far too easy and unwanted attention could potentially be drawn should she make that choice. She wanted an entryway that was as quiet as possible; Not just because she was a kunoichi, but because she did not want to make any mistakes that could eliminate her chances of quelling her curiosity on the Maverick infested factory.  _"But, that won't stop me from getting to the bottom of this."_

She examined her surroundings and each roof that was within her sight. Knowing that she had no efficient way of entry on the current roof, she decided to move on to another for better options. After a few close calls of being detected by the enemy, Shade may have potentially found her entryway. Her eyes were locked on the vent shaft near ground level. There were many ventilation shafts in the area, but Shade needed one that had a path that could get her inside undetected. Without a second thought, Shade removed the hatch but kept it in her hand as she slipped inside the tunnel, closing the shaft by returning the hatch to its proper place.

* * *

  
Inside a dark room was but a single man; a man appearing to be in his late teens. Despite the dimness of the room, one could see that this individual appeared to be impatient as he tapped his index finger against the arm of his swivel chair. A vicious grimace grew, revealing his sharp teeth.

However, his attitude changed when he suddenly heard a robotic female voice speak from the speakerphone on the office desk.

_MOTION TRIGGER IN: WEST BUILDING 1F VENT._

The individual grinned at the warning and stood up from his chair. He slammed his fist into his open palm and cracked each of his knuckles on both hands as he made his way to the door.

" _Heh Heh Heh... Looks like I can do something about my boredom...._ "

* * *

  
Shade had successfully made it inside the factory. The second she landed on the ground, she went for the shadows again; hiding behind oil-filled barrels. From where Shade stood, she could see the entire picture being presented to her:

This was a Maverick Mechaniloid Production Factory, and these mechaniloids were being made at an unusual pace. Galleons, Cannonwalkers, Cavity CWs, and much more were being made. There were a few mechaniloids that Shade didn't quite recognize. The frame for the unrecognizable seemed ancient but updated. Nonetheless, they looked just as dangerous as Galleons and the like.

_"A Factory for producing Mavericks... How asinine."_  Shade thought irritably. While watching the process of each mechaniloid's creation, Shade watched the other Galleons patrolling much like the ones outside.   _"I cannot allow this factory to continue operations. I may consider the Galleons weak, but in numbers, they pose a significant threat; especially in a highly populated area."_ Shade narrowed her eyebrows.  _"And I recall an Innerpeace area to be nearby. Once enough are produced, they will likely go there. I will prevent that from happening."_

She knew what she had to do, and this would undoubtedly alert the patrol of her presence.  _"To halt all operations in this factory, I need to go to the power source; The 'Core'."_. Shade had observed how quickly these Mavericks were being produced, so she knew that something was speeding up the process.  _"Once I find it, I destroy it. Simple as that."_

Shade continued her trek around the factory, avoiding detection and leaving the shadows every once and awhile to get around.

_"Likely, the core would be somewhere secure; perhaps underground if this factory has any floors down under. No fool would keep their power source out in the open for some average visitor to see."_  Shade thought. Her guess was perhaps true, for Shade had spotted an elevator that led down below in one place and a few entrances to the stairs in other places. However, she figured that cameras would be present in elevators and the stairways. In addition to hiding in the shadows whenever she could to hide from the patrol, she did it to evade detection from the cameras that she saw.

Although she was very confident in her abilities, she had to admit that she felt a little stuck on her next move. She wished to remain unseen for as much as she could and avoid any unnecessary confrontation, but how could she get to the lower floors without being seen? She had no way to scramble the video feed on the cameras without destroying them completely.

It was there that she came up with a possible solution. It was a bit bizarre and  _very_  risky, but Shade grew desperate. She moved closer to the elevator and watched as two Galleons walked into the elevator. Once the doors closed, Shade rushed to them, immediately materializing her beam-katana and driving it into the hole in the middle. With her strength, she forced the doors open and gain access to the elevator shaft. She was very fortunate that the elevator the Galleons previously entered into was going up and also  _VERY_  fortunate that she was not spotted yet. She now had time to get down to the lowest floor this factory had. Jumping down below, Shade would feel the wind push past her as she dove down. Before hitting the ground, she made contact with the wall to slow her descent until she touched the bottom. Then she immediately repeated what she did earlier to open this elevator door and enter inside.

She was now in a hallway with minimal light. Judging from how many elevator doors she saw during her quick descent, she was on B3F; the third Basement. Quickly getting down to the end of the hall, she found an area complete with further machinery producing Mavericks and storage containers containing Energy Crystals. This area seemed quite significant as she saw large mechaniloids that she was unfamiliar with. They were 2 times bigger than her and seemed sturdy and powerful. Fortunately, they were permanently inactive. Perhaps the one in charge plans on recycling the parts for other uses. But, that's what Shade would do if she was an evil individual producing mechaniloids.

Aside from the storage of E-Crystals and inactive mechaniloids, she felt that a place that was producing mechaniloids as quickly as the ones on 1F would be monitored or patrolled due to its significance, but she didn't see any active mechaniloids doing such a thing.

  
Walking along the black factory balcony, Shade kept her guard up. As quiet and "empty" as this place seemed, she prepared herself for anything surprising.

" _ **Hey, Ninja Girl.**_ "

Shade stopped dead in her tracks when she saw someone land a few feet in front of her. Standing before her was a young individual wearing red, black and yellow armor. The young man had light skin and fiery red-orange, spiky hair. His crimson eyes were fixed on Shade's equally crimson eyes as a smug smirk grew on his face.

"I didn't think a wanderer like you would find this place." The teenager said. "Still, you have some crappy stealth for a Ninja Girl, don't you think?"

"How did you know I was here?" Shade asked simply, ignoring his taunts. Judging from how she asked that, it appeared that she knew this individual.

"There was a motion trigger in the vents on 1F." He answered. "You really could've just entered inside the joint through actual doors instead of trying to be sneaky."

Shade was unaware of motion detection in the vents. She felt slightly dejected knowing that she was already caught the moment she entered the building. However, she would not put up with her enemy's insults. She knew she had made a mistake. All she needed to do was correct it.

"Explain, Ignitus." Shade demanded. "What is going on in this place?"

The teen, known as Ignitus, shrugged with an apathetic look. "It's a Maverick Production Factory." He answered.

Shade's eyebrows narrowed at his response. The answer wasn't at all satisfactory for he told her something she already knew. However, she has observed the place ever since she "snuck" in. Since Ignitus was going to be uncooperative, Shade decided to tell him her assumptions.

"As if that wasn't obvious enough." Shade replied. "But let me tell you what I think is going on: This is a once-abandoned factory used to produce mechaniloids. You wouldn't have bothered with this place otherwise. With that said, you are using a power source to ramp up production."

"Based on past experiences, I would say you are using a  _ **Model W**_  to do it." Shade smirked a smile that had yet to be seen. "Is my assumption accurate?"

Ignitus was no longer in a taunting mood as his expression went from smug to agitate in an instant.

"Your reaction tells me that I am correct." Shade said. She once again materialized her beam-katana and propped the blunt edge of the blade on her shoulder. "I am going to destroy this factory. You are welcome to try and stop me."

Ignitus growled viciously at the invitation to battle. He slammed his fists together and a bright flash of light engulfed the both of them. His arms were enlarged and sturdier than before. Each arm even had a barrel attached on top.

"Gladly!" Ignitus cried. Without skipping a beat, Ignitus dashed towards the kunoichi. She jumped back to dodge the fiery foe's punch. Once she landed on her feet, she charged towards Ignitus to shoulder tackle him. Ignitus grunted from the attack but regained his stance.

"I could've stabbed you right there if I chose to." Shade told him. "You were left completely open. You have so much power Ignitus. Unfortunately, your temper blinds your--"

"Shut up and fight!" Ignitus barked, jabbing at her, only for her to dodge the punch again. However, she did not retaliate with her own attack for Ignitus was continuously trying to punch her. Shade evaded more of his punches and she noticed that something was off about her opponent.

_"Ignitus isn't fighting me like he usually does... Why isn't he...?"_ Shade wondered. She finally took the opportunity to clock her foe in the jaw.

" **Gah!** "

Ignitus winced at the pain he received from the ravenette. She may appear "tiny" to him, but she was stronger than she looked; that much Ignitus knew. His breathing became erratic as his anger had risen.

"You aren't fighting me like normal, Ignitus." Shade stated. "Why are you holding back? You never hold back."

Ignitus continued to breathe heavily, but he charged at her again and tried to kick her sideways. Because Shade swiftly jumped completely over him, his kick failed to connect with his target.

Shade folded her arms and looked at the red-orange haired individual. Her eyes were completely locked with his and she could see the intense rage in them.

"...I see." Shade began. She took a moment to look at her surroundings; at the machinery and the mechaniloids that were either inactive or in the process of being created. She then returned her attention to Ignitus who was too angered to think clearly. "This factory truly is significant. Unfortunately, you cannot fight me to your heart's content because you need this factory intact."

Ignitus roared and threw another predictable punch. Shade, deciding to "tease" him, jumped into the air and placed her hand on his arm to propel her flip. She landed back on the ground and looked at Ignitus once more. "You like to be brutal and destructive on the battlefield, but you can't exactly do that here, now can you?"

"Shut up!"

Yet another punch was thrown and yet again Shade dodged the punch. "You didn't exactly think this through did you? You were so ready to pick a fight, but you can't go all out when you're surrounded by assets necessary to your plan."

"Shut up! Shut up!  **SHUT UP!!!** "

Shade dodged one more punch and jumped onto the rails, standing on them with complete ease and balance. "I don't know why you are using this factory, but honestly, I don't care. Since you can't truly fight me effectively, you lose this battle."

Shade dashed towards Ignitus, grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground.

" **AGH!!** "

Ignitus stayed on the ground. His head was partially through the ground since they were on the factory balcony. Shade slowly got up and made her katana disappear. She did not even have to use the katana in the fight. After taking a moment to look at Ignitus' trembling body, she walked away. After a few steps, Shade stopped and materialized something in her hand.

"The next time you try to pick a fight with me, chose a wiser battle arena that will not limit you." Shade advised. She then threw the materialized object at Ignitus and he yelped in pain.

Stabbed in his chest was a kunai. It managed to pierce past the armor and hit his chest underneath it. Ignitus growled as he watched Shade left.

_"D-Dammit...."_  He cursed.

With Ignitus subdued, Shade leaped off the balcony to proceed onto her search for the core; The core known as  _ **Model W**_.

* * *

  
Shade trekked through the factory until she found the Model W. She discovered that it was hidden further down below, past B3F. The Model W was giving off an evil aura and was hooked onto many cords. Given the properties of Model Ws, Shade was surprised she couldn't sense it's evil presence earlier. She surmised that it was because it was deeper underground. Shade glared at the large Biometal and pulled out her katana.

"It's time to destroy you." Shade announced.

Immense energy began to build into the blade and it even started to glow a blue light. Focusing her power into the blade until she felt was enough, she jumped into the air, spun her body once and screams out,

" ** _Genmu Strike!!!_** "

A powerful wave slash strikes the Model W. The impact of the attack makes the Biometal explode and break down into pieces. Shade landed on her feet and gave a sigh of relief at a job well done. However, she immediately learned that the destruction of the Model W not only halted operations but practically began a self-destruct sequence.

"The Model W truly WAS the power source...?!" Shade exclaimed aloud. "I suppose the factory can't function without the Model W's immense power..."

Shade began her escape, but soon came to another thought,  _"Or maybe, Ignitus somehow rigged this Biometal to make the place explode should anyone either take it or destroy it. Tch. Whatever. The Model W is destroyed, so no more Mavericks will be produced here."_

With the factory exploding, Shade no longer needed to worry about stealth. She went for the stairways instead of the elevator and leaped off each set of stairs until she got 1F. Before she got to an exit, Ignitus appeared, clutching his chest where the kunai once was. He frantically looked around the area, watching the place destroy itself. He noticed Shade and darted his eyes at her.

"You just  _had_ to put your nose where it didn't belong, huh?!" He snarled.

"If what you were doing was a threat to humanity, then yes, I had to." Shade retorted. "Your operations were over the moment I set foot in this place."

Ignitus growled. "Bah! It doesn't matter anyway! If me and my siblings can't take you down, then  _ **the**_ ** _Elite Slayer_**  definitely can."

Shade's interest was peaked. The Elite Slayer? Who was that?

"She'll make sure that all of your efforts and crappy heroics will be meaningless...!" Ignitus continued. He then pointed at her dramatically. "If I ever see you again, I'll pay you back for the humiliation you brought to me today. Next time, the arena will be suitable for me, and I won't hold back...!"

With his final words, Ignitus turned into a beam of light, teleporting out of the exploding factory. Shade was left confused, but her pondering would have to be postponed. First, she needed to get out.

Leaving the factory, she walked back into the barren wasteland. She was sure that the Galleons that were in the surrounding area were destroyed by the explosions. Shade walked casually from the explosions, stopping once she was far enough to watch the factory's final explosion that was superior to the ones before it. Satisfied, Shade continued to walk away.

* * *

  
Shade stood silently outside the boat she had boarded hours ago. She watched the moon reflect off the beautiful ocean. She had finally left Japan and was headed to her next destination.

However, throughout the entire trip, Shade pondered on the "Elite Slayer" that Ignitus spoke of.

_If me and my siblings can't take you down, then the_ **Elite Slayer** definitely can.

Those words troubled her. Who was she? What is she capable of? So many questions that could not be answered right now. She knew this, though:

She was going to go face-to-face with the Enforcer soon, and she had to be prepared for when she arrived. For now, Shade needed to rest. In a few hours, she was going to reach her stop, and then her journey would continue...

* * *

  
Rokku had left Cynthia's place some time ago to continue his adventures. Before the day had concluded, the brunette had made it to Vivant City, one of the biggest cities in Europe. It's rumored that this city was where the people fought the Mavericks a few years after the end of the Neo Arcadia Wars. This was when the Mavericks suddenly reappeared after supposedly being destroyed.

Nonetheless, Rokku enjoyed his time in Vivant City. He got to learn that this place hosted an art museum. He even got to get himself into a painting when a well-known artist wanted to paint a group picture. Of course, he had to pay a little bit of cash, but it was worth it. Unlike most people, Rokku tends not to use E-Crystals as a form of currency. Instead, he uses Zenny, a type of currency that has resurfaced. The last time this currency was used was in the 22nd Century. Since then, E-Crystals has been a currency. Nowadays, both E-Crystals and Zenny are forms of currency as E-Crystals still have many uses including powering up machinery and nourishment for some reploids.

Rokku used his Zenny to buy a few things, such as Vivant City's "legendary" Strawberry Sundae Ice Cream and, more importantly, a sleeping bag. Unfortunately, Rokku was unsuccessful in finding a place to sleep in tonight. However, the brunette was happy to sleep outside, so long as he was safe. The safest place Rokku could think of was...the roof of a randomly chosen building. As strange as his choice was, Rokku was quite comfortable, especially with his recently purchased sleeping bag.

He knew that if he was going on some cool adventures, he needed to be prepared to sleep anywhere; even outside or the roof of a moving truck! Maybe not that last one, but the point has been made!

The 13-year old was ready for tomorrow to come. Once the sun has risen, Rokku was going to get going to the next important city. Nothing was going to stop his love for thrills and adventure!


	3. Destined Link

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Long Chapter.

**June 26, 2545  
**

Rokku awoke from his slumber, taking a moment to yawn and stretch his arms. He got out of his sleeping bag and stood at the edge of the roof he was currently on to bask in the morning sun. Sighing contentedly, Rokku returned to his sleeping bag to start rolling it up for travel. Under normal circumstances, the boy would've went into a shower and brushed his teeth, but he wasn't exactly given permission to be on this roof. It appeared that he would have to skip his morning routine for now as he needed to get going.

Once everything was ready to go, Rokku climbed down back to the ground via the use of ladders and actually jumping down to the ground at a high enough point. He didn't get on the roof through normal means; rather he climbed up there by performing parkour. He had learned it from his parents, Cassandra and Joseph. Adventurers had to learn such thing if they wanted to get around to see the best places.

He's learned quite a few things from them, such as hand-to-hand combat. Rokku wasn't as good as them, though. Joseph was quite the street fighter during his school days and sometimes got in trouble for it. He's definitely a nice guy, but sometimes, he got a little  _too_  competitive. Rokku would be taught street fighting, and although he found it useful, he didn't quite see the fun in hurting others like his father did. While Rokku was always for friendly competition, he was unable to see fighting as "friendly".

Nonetheless, Rokku wanted to go to his next destination. But first, he needed some quick parkour exercise. He ran through the bustling Vivant City; jumping onto walls and through building structures, performing public parkour. It was like the metropolis was a level in a video game except there were no enemies but hazards like moving vehicles and some parts of the environment.

Eventually, after getting through at least 10 minutes of parkour, Rokku concluded his little exercise. He was getting looks from the residents of Vivant City, so he had moved to a part of the city where the residents weren't aware of Rokku's harmless hijinks. The exercise has gotten the boy pumped up to continue his travels; though he'd be lying if he said the exercise didn't drain him a little. Before he would leave Vivant City, Rokku wanted to get himself a little snack for the road.

He went to get himself another ice cream cone; something he had gotten last night as well. As he made his way to the large gate that would grant access entry or exit, he looked around to see the residents of the city. One particular group caught the brunette's eye. Two human teenagers were hanging around with a reploid, seemingly having a happy conversation. There was an older human man with the two humans, and he had more mechanical implants than them; so much that it made him appear to be a cyborg like in science fiction... Though, it can't really be calling "fiction" if it has become a reality, now can it?

Seeing the three humans so happy together made Rokku feel a little...envious. He didn't think about it before, but he was going on his journey alone. His parents went on adventurers together, his grandfather, Thaddeus, had a few of his friends by his side during his travels, but Rokku... Rokku was alone. In truth, Rokku only has one actual friend, and she's back home in the hospital resting. He wanted his friend to travel with him when the time was right, but unfortunately, she caught a disease at the worst possible time. Not only has she currently lost her speech capabilities, but she felt fragile and weak. Recovery was a definite possibility, but it was also a impossibility. It would take time; a lot of it.

He's been alone for awhile, but it never really bothered him until later years. He wanted a companion with him too but unfortunately, he does not know how to go about it. He's socially awkward and that was his weakness. He was home schooled all his life and he doesn't understand a lot of the social norms nowadays. He doesn't even understand romance or love. Despite all that, he was friendly and helpful, but his interactions with other people his age prove to be embarrassing for him. His friend at home is the only one around his age who he's comfortable being with. In hindsight, Rokku probably should've thought a little more about his trip before going on with it.

Observing the humans and single reploid again made Rokku think about something else: The Equality Law. His Mother, Cassandra, had always told him about the law and its importance as well as its danger.

" _Those many years ago, humans and reploids agreed to bridge the gap between the two species. According to the law, humans must have mechanical bodies at a certain age, and reploids must have limited lifespans like a human. Many humans go overboard with the mechanical bodies, as you can easily tell by the black bodies they possess. Some, however, where black bodysuits over their human skin. Also, some humans don't even receive "mechanical bodies" but just implants within their muscles and skin._ "

Rokku and his family took a dangerous risk. They were ignoring the human part of the law, meaning that Rokku himself was a pure human. He did not have mechanical implants like he's supposed to. His family did not approve of the family, but they banded together to show that by not going to Legion. They managed to get away with this through the use of "disguises"; including reploid ears that proved to be fake. They used fake Identifications to get around without suspicion. This method has worked for over a century. However, despite the family's disapproval of the law, they never had the courage to truly do anything about it. None of them want to be branded Mavericks. However, Rokku doesn't know what happens afterwards, but being branded Maverick should tell him what it means.

After taking a moment to recall his Mother's words, Rokku left the city through the entryway, walking along the path towards another city known as Kairos City. He had no plans of heading there right away, however. He was going to the meadows, where there's a large open field with no buildings and little technology. His thoughts had altered his course and he needed time to think; somewhere away from the general populace and, obviously, away from danger.

Where Rokku lived, the Enstratos region, there were four primary cities; Luna City, Vivant City, Kairos City, and Deza City; all in which are affiliated with one nation:  **Unity**. Across the world each continent had a government nation. Europe had  **Unity** , Asia had  **Hikari** , and America had  **Legion**. Legion was the boding government of the whole world. The other nations had their own occupations but they all followed one of the few laws: The Equality Law.

It only made sense that Legion became the leaders of the world, after all that's happened to the planet. Even prior to the Neo Arcadia Wars, the world wasn't in good shape. Because of the Elf Wars, the bloodiest war in recorded history (although long forgotten by almost all residents of Earth), 60% of humans and 90% of reploids were exterminated as a result of said war. Many parts of the world were devastated too. Neo Arcadia was created for humans and reploids to live peacefully after that war and it took sometime for the rest of the world to regain the vegetation it once had. Area Zero was the last known area where true vegetation grew and it was preserved for the greater good.

Eventually, the nature returned and Legion helped bring the world together as it was back in the 21st Century. Of course, there was still the Maverick issue. Nobody seemed to know where they come from and why they attack humans and reploids alike. This issue is still prevalent even today and fortunately, there were groups who fight off the Mavericks to protect their people. One of these groups are known as The Guardians who, while mostly sticking around in Cinq Ville and Legion, North America, travel around the world. Another was the Milos Defense Force and they hover around Europe.

And then there's Innerpeace and Outlands. If one took an airship, they can notice tons of circular sections which were the Innerpeace areas. Those were considered the "Safe Zones". The Outlands are unsafe most of the time because of the Mavericks. There are also large desert areas where Mavericks are most sighted. These desert areas are remnants of the wars from the distant past.

Rokku, however, traveled in the Outlands since he was a adventurer. He encountered Mavericks before and he would run away or try to defend himself. Although he's no pro, he can defend himself well against the Galleon Hunters . He has no weapons on him and makes use of his surroundings to protect himself. His father was a great fighter and was able to use other weaponry too. He used swords and firearms against the Mechaniloids in his days of youth. Unfortunately, Rokku doesn't have a sword nor a firearm, and fighting hand-to-hand wasn't very effective if he didn't have the strength to rival the Mavericks'. It wasn't too much of a problem since he would mostly run away to avoid the chance of injury.

Admittedly, Rokku was sometimes afraid of the Mavericks, but he would use this fear to defend himself.

It was amazing that Rokku would go to such lengths just to see the world, especially when he could be killed.

* * *

  
It was night time and Rokku was wandering through the large open area of the Meadow. Nothing but grass and the starry night above to keep the boy calm. He was walking through the grass, observing the serenity of this area. Large white mountains were on his right side, along with a large and long river flowing through the current. It was this pleasant silence that could put someone like Rokku to sleep. Fortunately, there were no Mavericks present and that made it even better.  
  
He took off his backpack and lied it on the ground. He stretched out his arms and fell backwards, landing on the grass. He sighed heavily, looking at the beautiful starry night sky. It was dreamy... So many stars in the sky right now...  
  
_"I wonder if Mom and Dad traveled through nights like these..."_  He thought.  
  
Rokku breathed the serene fresh air. This was just relaxing... If only the entire world was this calm and peaceful... No Mavericks, no evil doers, no crime (or at least, a minimal amount that could easily be solved), nothing bad... Unfortunately, it seems that if there's good then there's bad. Rokku believes that the world can achieve global peace like it once had after the Neo Arcadian Wars.  
  
The boy began to think about the human side of the Equality Laws... How he hated them... Not only because his family hates it too, but because of it was forced. He would be fine if people could choose to become cyborgs; or more accurately "humanoids"; because that would at least give some sort of independence... But being forced to having mechanical implants seemed... wrong. At a certain age, mostly around the age of 12, humans were to report to Legion for bionic bodies. It wasn't right... Rokku didn't want to think of the government as corrupt because Legion has done many good things to help the residents of Earth. They had some good ideas. The Innerpeace for citizens were a good idea until the Maverick issue could be resolved. But... Still, this particular part of the Law was one of the few things Rokku despised...  
  
Truth be told, Rokku was a pure human. His Mother and other family members too. His Father, however, had his left leg and right side of his chest and waist replaced because of an injury he suffered when Rokku was just 5.  
  
Rokku never went to Legion like he was required to. Because he never went to Legion, the people there don't have any data on him. While it would appear Rokku was a humanoid like many other people, he was merely faking it. He's currently wearing cybernetic ear plates to fool people into thinking such. It made the most sense, as the ears were the most defining feature of a humanoid. The ear plates were hooked onto the human's auditory system, as well as the brain. Rokku's ear plates were attached on his ears, but they can come off with the press of a button. They were locked on his ears tight, but they were comfortable. The reason for the lock was so that it wouldn't fall off so easily.   
  
Fortunately, no one knows that Rokku is still human. In fact, his entire family was safe from the public because of their disguises (save for Rokku's Dad since he needed them to stay alive longer) and fake IDs and other methods that would probably be deemed illegal. If anyone found out about this, they would be regarded as Mavericks for breaking the law. The possible penalty was either submit or die. Rokku, despite being a naive child, was willing to continuously keep his secret.  
  
Despite hating the law so much, he did appreciate the reploid side of it all. The reploids now had life spans and that made them close to human. It wasn't right for humans to have reploid parts implanted within them just so they can be equal. The lifespan should be equal enough. Although, cybernetic implants sounds kinda cool, thinking about it. Rokku understood the benefits of becoming a humanoid, but he merely didn't like the fact that the transformation was mandatory...  
  
What was Rokku going to do about it though? He and his family hate the law so much, yet they just hide out the fact that they are still purely human. Why don't they do something about it? Sure, there are some who also hate the law, but they are trying to get rid of it in a wrong way by committing crimes. Rokku didn't want to do that. There had to be an alternative to changing the human side of the laws... But... What?  
  
The brunette's pondering was getting a little intense, but he continued to think about it. Whenever he thought this hard, he was likely to conjure up a good idea that would eventually benefit him. However, as his thoughts lingered, he noticed a shooting star in the sky. He smiled brightly as he saw the star shine bright. Suddenly, an thought came to mind. There's this legend saying that if you see a shooting star, you can make a wish. The legend has been passed around for centuries and people seemed to either believe it or dismiss it. Rokku, however, believed in such a legend. To make matters better for him, this was the first time he saw a shooting star with his own eyes.  
  
He saw this as an opportunity to make a wish. So, he sat up, held his hands together as if he was praying and closed his eyes. His hands were held so tight as he made his wish.  
  
" _I wish... I wish that I could have a peaceful world... A world where Mavericks are gone and someone changed the Equality Law... So... So that it can make it... Fair to humans everywhere... And so me and my family don't have to hide without fear of being called Mavericks...! Something or someone... Please help me achieve my dream of a peaceful world...! I want the world to be peaceful like it was before...!_ "  
  
Rokku opened his eyes and let his hands hang free. He looked at the sky as the shooting star continued to soar through the night. Rokku smiled at how bright it was. He hoped that the star would hear his call and grant his wish.  
  
However, something wasn't right... The star seemed to... grow bigger? Rokku squinted at the star, growing bigger and bigger... Is a shooting star suppose to enlarge itself? Rokku then got on his feet to get a even closer look... No doubt about it: That star was getting bigger and more brighter as the seconds passed. Rokku kept looking at it... Until he got a sudden realization:  
  
That star was coming towards his very position!  
  
He jumped in fear as the star got closer and closer... That star was high above the ground and descending at incredible speed. The young boy, fearing for his life, ran to a different position after he grabbed the bag. He then ducked to the ground, his hands on his head to protect himself. The star passed him fortunately and finally collided with the ground, causing a miniature earthquake. Rokku lowered his hands and opened his eyes. He jumped on his feet, grabbed his backpack and ran to where the "star" crashed at.  
  
Rokku ran alongside the flowing river, getting closer to the "crash site". As he ran, he could see a bright blue glowing light in the distance. It made the boy want to get there quickly, so he picked up the pace, panting heavily as he increased his running speed. He stopped when he got close enough to the light. The blue glow was illuminating in front of the boy, the light flashing on Rokku's face, chest, pants, the front. To Rokku's surprise, it wasn't a large dent like he expected. In fact, there was barely no dent at all...!  
  
The light began to shimmer down, allowing Rokku to see a visible object lying down in the grass. Rokku squinted, looking at a small object glowing like a aura. Rokku gasped when he scanned the object. It looked like a white head... a small one with a... hat on it's head? No no, it was a helmet... It also had two weird green robot-like eyes... Sorta like how those giant robots in Japanese Anime and Manga had. The weird head-looking object's size was reasonable. It looked like it could be held in a human's hand...  
  
Rokku stared at the object for a whole minute before pondering if he should pick it up. It was like something out of science fiction. Did this thing come from Outer Space? That'd be cool and all, but a little cliche. Rokku eventually finalized his decision, getting down on one knee and reaching his hand out to grab it.  
  
Suddenly, the object shined bright, knocking Rokku on his bottom and temporarily blinding him. Rokku rubbed his eyes and the light began to shimmer once again. Rokku slowly opened his eyes and noticed something else odd. The object no longer was lying in the grass... In its place was a... little boy!?  
  
Rokku jumped when he saw this. Did the object turn into a boy? Maybe, but this boy couldn't be human. It looked a little robotic... Rokku's mouth remained open as he observed the robot boy. His eyes were closed and his body looked a damaged, cracks shown on its face, chest area, boots and even the hands. Like the object that once was in the grass, the boy also had this helmet... It was the exact same design as well...  
  
Was it a reploid? Rokku raised his hand, reaching for the boy's large boots. His hand briefly stopped but he then proceeded to touch the boot. Rokku sighed in relief, realizing nothing bad happened. He slowly rubbed the boot, feeling how robotic it felt along with the cracks it had. However, it also had this... soft, yet cold feeling to it. It was hard to describe but while feeling robotic it felt a little... human...?  
  
Rokku crawled around to the face, observing that next. Like a reploid, the boy's face looked pretty human. Specifically, the face looked really young, about as young as Rokku's. The face looked like it belonged to a 10 year old... There were cracks and scratches on the face as well. Rokku touched the cheek, it's texture feeling softer than the boots but still robotic.  
  
Rokku sighed. What should he do?  
  
Suddenly, he heard footsteps through the grass. It was heading towards Rokku's direction. He quickly turned around to find two people in front of him. One of them had the face of a male teenager and the other, a middle age man. The man in particular looked like a war soldier. The fact that he also had a dark grey Buster-Rifle holster on his back...  
  
The teenager had some type of device in his hands. "Like I said, the reading is here." The teen told the other. Apparently, this device was capable of scanning for "energy signatures". As he told him this, the teenager did not keep his eyes off Rokku. "The readings are higher than we thought..."  
  
The man looked at the robot boy before looking at Rokku. "What are you doing around here?"  
  
Rokku stared at him for a second. No words would come out. He would think the words, but they wouldn't become audible for their ears. Rokku shook his head around, breaking out of his trance and staring at the man. "I was just... traveling..."  
  
The man raised an eyebrow. "In the Outlands?"  
  
Rokku slowly nodded. From how the man asked that question, it made it seem like that Rokku traveling in the Outlands was crazy... And to an extent, it was.  
  
The teenager gave the device to the man and went to the robot boy to pick him up. Rokku watched in awe as what he thought was a shooting star was in the hands of someone he didn't know.  
  
"Wow... It looks pretty ancient... Yet pretty up-to-date." The teenager muttered. He looked at the man. "I think the doc would like to take a look at this guy. Maybe she knows more about this than we do."  
  
"Agreed." The man nodded. "Let's get going then."  
  
Rokku was quick to say something here. They were going to leave off with the robot boy that HE found. "W-Wait!"  
  
The two looked at Rokku, confused by what he wanted. "What is it?" The man asked.  
  
Rokku just saw that robot boy fall from the sky. There was no way he was going to let it out of his sight after witnessing something as amazing as that.  
  
"Um... Can I... Can I come with you? Wherever you guys are going?" Rokku asked, touching his index fingers together nervously. As determined as he was to see what this robot's story was, he wasn't quite an adept at conversating with others he's unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, he didn't want them to just leave and take the robot away like that. He wanted to follow.  
  
The teenager chuckled a bit. "Sorry, no can do. Where we are going is secret. Can't have a stranger coming along."  
  
Rokku felt dejected at the response. It wasn't the answer he was looking for. He was about to plead with them until the man intervened.  
  
"Now hold on." The man spoke. The teenager looked at the man in confusion. "This boy DID find this... reploid before we did. Besides, if such a young kid like him is traveling around in the Outlands, then he must be pretty brave."  
  
"Brave...? I guess I am, ehehe..." Rokku said sheepishly. He wasn't entirely sure if he was the bravest around, but he was determined. Then again, this was the same boy who was afraid of a tiny mouse.  
  
He was adventurous... Of course, Rokku being naive doesn't realize that going on such adventures require bravery... But it could also require stupidity, something Rokku did not have because he was quite intelligent for his age.  
  
"I think we should put our trust into him." The man continued. "Maybe Doc could meet the one who actually found the energy signature. Besides, a visitor from the outside could be a good thing for the community; especially for the Doc."  
  
The teenager shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, but don't come to me when she's upset at you."  
  
The man smiled. "I'm sure she'll be more "delighted" than upset." He then turned to Rokku. "Hey kid, on your feet! You're coming with us!"  
  
Rokku smiled a little, jumping on his feet with his backpack in his hand. "O-Okay!"  
  
"By the way," The man said as Rokku walked beside him. "My name is Faucon. He's Menart."  
  
Rokku nodded. "My name is Rokku!"  
  
"Cool. Are you human Rokku?" The teenager, Menart, asked.  
  
Rokku nodded once more. "Uh-huh. Are you guys humans too?"  
  
Faucon laughed. "No kid. We're reploids."  
  
Rokku's eyes widened. "R-Really? Then, how come you guys don't have those upside red triangles on your foreheads?" Rokku then gasped when he had a thought. "Are you guys 'illegal reploids'?"  
  
It was Menart's turn to laugh. "I guess you can think of it like that! But don't worry, we aren't bad guys or anything!"  
  
Rokku continued to walk with Menart and Faucon. He was curious as to where he was heading. Along the way, Faucon and Menart questioned Rokku's reasons for not being in the Innerpeace areas where it was safe. Rokku told the two reploids the story of his reason. He was an adventurer like his Mother, Father and Grandfather were. He wants to travel around the world, making friends and seeing new things. To his surprise, Faucon and Menart respected his reason. For this reason, they decided to bring the young adventurer to their secret residence.  
  
Besides, their leader needed to see someone from outside; someone who can be trusted and is kind. Perhaps Rokku is that person.

* * *

 

 **June 27, 2545**

It was a long journey... They traveled through places that Rokku never knew existed. It was quite exciting for him honestly. However, they were traveling really far from Kairos City, Rokku's original destination. The locations were truly becoming unrecognizable. As an adventurer, Rokku couldn't help but geek out at the many places he visited that probably weren't on the map. Of course, he kept his excitement to himself, though Faucon and Menart could probably see it right through him.

They traveled through the night until it was dawn. They appeared to be in the mountain regions, all of the summits looking white as snow despite no snow. The sound of waterfalls caught Rokku by surprise. There was also grass on the ground along with the white stone-like ground... The region looked truly majestic and the mountains were beginning to resemble gateways as they walked on the path to their residence.

They soon walked over a long, steel bridge, looking surprisingly new. Rokku took a peek down below to see that it wasn't so far down, perhaps like 12 feet deep. Of course, there was deeper gorges back where he came. The trio stopped to find a large white mansion-like building. It was in sitting in this central area where aquatic-blue colored waterfalls and white mountains surrounded the building in a circular fashion. It was almost like a castle with moats. People were walking around the building, carrying buckets of water and bags of what Rokku assumed was food.

"Wow..." Rokku said in awe. He truly found this place to be heavenly, a true paradise...

Faucon laughed and placed his right hand on Rokku's shoulder. "Rokku," He began. He held out his left hand, presenting the name of the location. "Welcome to The Sanctuary."

Faucon and Menart walked forward, surprising Rokku who was still observing the serenity of The Sanctuary. The title of this location was truly fitting. The chipper boy walked behind the two reploids, heading towards the doors of this building.

"A while ago, we discovered this place while restoring the world." Faucon explained. "This actually was an abandoned village before the Mountains and Waterfalls came in... We built this building as our home."

As the trio approached the doors, Rokku was getting stares from other people who resided in this area. Perhaps, just like Faucon and Menart, they were reploids. Rokku spotted a woman carrying a bucket of fresh water, and a little female child holding onto a net filled with fish. He also spotted a large bulky man carrying large metallic material with his bare hands, and a older reploid, who was pretty short and slightly pudgy, carrying what seemed to be Ceratanium Crystals in a backpack. Those crystals are very rare now of days, but seeing the reploid hold that many was unbelievable yet amazing. There were so many crystals that they are overfilling the backpack. Seeing Ceratanium in his own eyes made Rokku gasp in awe, but he followed Faucon and Menart nonetheless.

Faucon opened the door, allowing Menart and Rokku to enter. Right off the bat, Rokku found that the main color scheme of this main entryway was brown, like your typical mansion. Large stairs were in front of Rokku and the top would have two split pathways leading to unknown places. On the right side of the stairway, there was a long corridor. On the left side seem to lead to a living room, as well as a kitchen. On the farthest left, there was but a window, a chair and a table with a thick book and a lamp on top. On the farthest right had a similar window, but instead of a chair and table, there was a long black couch with 3 black pillows.

As the boy observed how fancy this place was, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the stairs. He looked up and saw a woman with blonde hair approaching them with a old man beside her. She looked pretty young, appearing to be in her early-mid 20s. She wore a white lab coat, as well as a pink chest plate over her pink dress. She appeared to be wearing a black bodysuit underneath everything. She had a pink and white helmet. Her heels shared the same color as the helmet. She had a bright and beautiful smile as she talked with the old man; both of them going down the stairs.

"Ah, Doc." Faucon greeted.

The woman reached the final stair. Her smile diminished a little upon seeing not only Faucon and Menart, but also a kid and a "sleeping reploid".

"Faucon, Menart, you have returned." The woman said. She then turned to the "reploid" and then at Rokku. "But you have not returned alone, I see. Who is he?"

"He's a human kid." Faucon explained. "Someone we met along the way."

Rokku approached the woman with a smile on his face. The woman seemed to be just a little taller than him. Rokku was 5'4" while this woman seemed to be 5'5" or 5'6".

"U-Um, hello! My name is Rokku!" He greeted happily, extending his right hand for a shake.

The woman smiled as she gazed into the childish expression Rokku possessed. It seemed to make her happy to see a chipper child like him.

"Hello, Rokku." The woman began, gripping and shaking the boy's hand. "My name is Ciel. It's a pleasure."

Rokku thought that was a nice name for someone like her. They both retracted their hands.

"My name is Andrew." The old man greeted. "Nice to meet you, son."

Rokku found it funny that Andrew called him 'son'. Then again, it seems to be a tendency for the elderly to say such things.

"Nice to meet you too." Rokku greeted back.

Ciel turned to Menart and Faucon. "While I am not upset that you brought an outsider, I wish you would've consulted with me first."

Menart placed his hands behind his head and looked at Faucon. "Hey, don't look at me! Faucon was the one who came up with the idea to bring the kid along."

"It's true. It's been so long since anyone from the outside came here. I thought you'd like to meet someone like Rokku. He's on his own but he has his reasons." Faucon explained.

"We found out about that energy signature we detected hours ago." Menart began. "This 'reploid' is the source of it. Rokku is actually the one who found the "reploid" before us though, and he didn't look like he was going to let us walk away with something he found first."

Ciel raised a brow upon hearing mention of the "reploid". She walked towards it and made observations. She touched the body to feel it's texture and material.

"Amazing..." Ciel muttered in awe. "...This robot appears to be wearing battle armor."

"Battle Armor?" Rokku parroted. Now that he thought about it, this robot boy  _did_  look like some superhero or something.

"Yes," Ciel nodded. "The texture also feels soft yet cold... The material is very flexible and durable."

Ciel looked up and smiled at the two reploids. "Thank you for bringing it here. I'll take it from here."

Ciel proceeded to take the robot in her hands. To her surprise, he felt lighter than she had expected. There was some weight to it though, but it was still light...or maybe Ciel was actually stronger than she thought.

"Perhaps you two can assist Hibou in carrying the Ceratanium back here. I do believe he's about to leave back out for more."

Faucon and Menart nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Menart said.

The two left out the door to carry out the request. Rokku turned around to find the short, pudgy reploid from before dropping the backpack filled with Ceratanium Crystals. He assumed he was the Hibou that Ciel spoke of.

"Excuse me, Ciel," Andrew said. "I think I will see if Autruche needs any assistance."

"Very well." Ciel nodded.

Andrew turned to Rokku. "I hope to see you again, Rokku." With that, Andrew left, heading to the living room area. Now, Rokku, Ciel and the robot boy were alone.

"I apologize. Today we are trying to gather some material and food from the outside." Ciel explained. "It's been quite a hectic day since mostly everyone's working together."

"It's okay." Rokku said. He was happy to finally meet the "Doc" that Faucon and Menart spoke of. Given that the robot boy was in Ciel's hands, he had assumed she was a doctor that had knowledge of the production of reploids or machinery. If it was true, then he would be most intrigued.

"So, what are you going to do with that robot?" Rokku asked, curiously.

Ciel smiled. "Well, from what Menart has told me, this robot had a high energy signature that passed by us hours ago. If all goes well, I can analyze it and learn who this is."

Rokku threw his hands in his coat pockets, further observing the main entryway.

"Rokku, would you like to follow me to my lab?" Ciel asked.

Rokku perked upon hearing her question. He thought she'd never ask! "U-Uh, yes ma'am!"

Ciel giggled at his response. He seemed very polite for someone his age. "Please, follow me."

The doctor turned to the corridor on the right side, Rokku followed closely behind. As the two traveled through the corridor, Rokku noticed doors that led to bed rooms or something. A few moments of walking lead the two to a stairway that lead down below. The more Rokku walked down, the more he noticed how metallic it was beginning to look compared to how upstairs had soft textures and a more traditional mansion-like appearance. This was beginning to look like a secret lab of some sort. Fortunately, lights were on the walls for visibility.

The two then traveled through another corridor, looking metallic and kind of scary. It wasn't too scary thanks to the lights, but still.

"I think I should properly introduce myself..." Ciel began. Rokku had a puzzled expression. "You see, I am a human like you. However, I was born centuries ago, in the 24th Century around the time of Neo Arcadia's ascension... Do you know of Neo Arcadian?"

"Yeah, it was a utopia for Humans and Reploids but the leader began to start... Well, 'retiring' innocent reploids..."

It surprised Ciel that Rokku was aware of the war. She would have to ask him more about this later. Rokku, however, did not know what 'retiring' meant in this case, but he merely repeated the information he was told about.

"Then you must know that there was a group called the Resistance who were wrongly branded as terrorists..."

"Yes." Rokku answered.

"I was the leader of the Resistance, the only member who was a human..."

Ciel opened a door leading to a large area filled with a lab table, a computer or two, and more "science-y" stuff that Rokku probably wouldn't know about despite his interests in technology. Ciel gently placed the robot boy on the lab table. The woman sat down on a chair nearby her computers, sighing.

"We haven't had a visitor for a long time, you know." Ciel said with a sad smile. "I'm actually glad Faucon brought in someone like you."

Rokku looked at the robot boy before looking back at Ciel. Something didn't seem right regarding Ciel's identity.

"Wait, if you were born in the 24th Century, then how are you still alive?" Rokku asked.

"I was hoping you'd ask." Ciel smiled. "You are quite perceptive."

"I am prolonging my life through the use of a special device known as Biometal. That's why you see I am wearing 'armor'."

Rokku was conflicted. On one hand, he was geeking out on the inside because he found the leader of the Resistance and found a haven. However, on the other hand, she was telling him all of this information; Information that was possibly very secretive.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Rokku asked, confused.

Ciel giggles, surprising the boy. "Because I trust you," Ciel began. "I also have this feeling that you'll do something that'll benefit mankind."

Rokku was even more confused. The woman reached into her toolbox and brought out a what appeared to be soldering tweezers. She reached for her helmet and brought out her visor. She went to the robot to begin her analysis.

Rokku watched as Ciel made preparations to analyze the robot. She attached wires onto the body and then opened a hatch on the chest area to reveal the interior systems it had. Ciel noticed that there was some damage to the interior structure. The core was made of some type of energy force... Something that felt pretty powerful...

Ciel put her visor up on her helmet, revealing her cobalt eyes again. "This robot is pretty damaged. The body structure is ancient, yet it has recent technology embedded within. It also has a design that I'm almost not familiar with..." Ciel sighed. "However, I'm sure I can fix him..."

Ciel took a closer look at the core area. Somehow, she never noticed that there was a serial number increased near the energy core. It read, " _DLN-001_ ".

 _"Hmm... This serial number sounds very familiar..."_  Ciel said, pondering about this.  _"I know I've seen this before..."_

She eventually dismissed her thoughts and began to start the restoration process.

"Can I help?" Rokku squeaked.

Ciel looked at Rokku. A smile formed on her face. "Why not? My friend Cerveau won't be back in a long time. An assistant would be nice."

"Who's Cerveau?" Rokku asked, standing beside Ciel.

"He's an old friend and an engineer who usually works alongside me." Ciel explained. "He's currently out with Doigt, another engineer, and a strong soldier named Vautour, searching for more rare material for machinery. I did say today was a little hectic today, didn't I?" She giggled.

With that, Ciel and Rokku began to fix this robot known by his serial number,  _DLN-001_ , a familiar serial number that Ciel cannot recall at the moment. Rokku was surprisingly helpful since he had some knowledge of reploids. He didn't really go deep inside the robot like Ciel did, only handing her tools and advice. Regardless, Ciel appreciated his kind assistance. Besides, this time together allowed them to get to know each other a little bit more.

Ciel knows that Rokku is an adventurer who wants to travel around the world, even despite the prevalent Maverick issue. Ciel also specialized in analyzing Cyber-Elves, programs that almost all people in the world are unaware of. Rokku, having knowledge of many events of the past, knew what Cyber-Elves were, but not as much as he probably should.

It took the duo hours to work on the robot, working deeply into the interior structure and the brain. The robot also had a Reploid I.C. Chip integrated into its brain, meaning it had independence and could choose its own path and function. The more Rokku helped Ciel, the more curious he got about what this robot was like.

While they were working on the robot, Ciel accidentally triggered a transformation sequence, causing the robot's battle armor to disappear and have a more, human appearance; complete with a blue and white shirt and black shorts. Ciel took note of this since both she and Rokku now knew that this robot had a civilian form. She eventually changed the robot's form back to its battle form. Rokku took off the helmet and studied it. According to Ciel, it was seemed to have many functions aside from head protection. More noticeably, the robot had brown hair that felt human-like. Ciel noted this. For the rest of the restoration process, Ciel kept the helmet off its head as to not have any restrictions or hinderances.

Ciel eventually discovered that the robot boy seemed to have a arm cannon for both of his hands. She learned this while working on his arms. A comical event happened when Ciel accidentally shot a energy bullet from the arm cannon, creating a black mark on the wall. Rokku chuckled nervously at this. Ciel took note that the energy bullet was very powerful. She realized that this arm cannon was powered by solar energy. However, it was also powered by the energy core that allowed the robot to live. Ciel has not yet understood the source of the energy from the core.

There seem to be remnants of solar energy within the body, but this energy core seems to be even more powerful or just an enhancement of said energy. However, the energy core needed to be fixed and stabilized, since there were small signs of energy instability in the core.

Perhaps this robot was able to consume foods like many reploids nowadays.

The two took a break at some point. They went to receive some Ceratanium Crystals from Hibou, as they intended on using them to fix the robot boy. Break time eventually ended, and the two immediately got back to work. Experimenting with the Ceratanium Crystals, Ciel had used her knowledge of the rare material to create a stronger version of Ceratanium by combining the materials with Titanium-X, a lightweight alloy she had received from Doigt. She dubbed this enhanced Ceratanium,  _Ceratanium-X_. She has been experimenting with this new alloy for some time and has once again created it for a new purpose.

The more Ciel worked on the robot boy, the more she reminisced about a reploid she once created: Mega Man X. In actuality, the reploid Ciel created was a replica of the original Mega Man X, commonly known as Copy X. She made Copy X so that he could rule Neo Arcadia in the real X's place after he used his body to seal in the Mother Elf, a master Cyber-Elf that was responsible for ridding Earth of the Sigma Virus but also sparking the Elf Wars. The body structure of this robot was beginning to resemble Copy X's.

Ciel and Rokku began to work on the Voice Chip. Ciel had plugged the chip into her computer to test it out. She did complicated work that Rokku wouldn't be able to understand quite yet. She looked at Rokku and began to start the test sequence. She typed in a few words to test out the Voice Chip. Something the two instantly noticed was how young the voice sounded, looking like it belonged to a 7-10 year old. However, the Voice Chip was also glitchy, a simple fix for Ciel. Fixing it up in no time flat, she began the test sequence again, and to her delight, the voice was working properly. Rokku cheered happily for their success in fixing the Voice Chip. To make matters better, they seemed to be getting closer to fixing this robot.

However, the two have been working for hours and dusk was close. Rokku was getting tired and requested to rest a bit. Ciel granted his wish, promising to work on it. Despite Rokku's pleas to also sleep, she declined. Rokku slept on one of her chairs, using his jacket as covers. Ciel spent all night working on the robot, eager to complete it. As she worked on the robot, she heard Rokku talk in his sleep. He expressed desire to see the robot completed just as she was. A smile formed on her face at the child and she continued to work on the robot. Occasionally, Ciel did system checks. She was glad Rokku was asleep though. Besides, she also had to 'strip' the robot a little bit more, save for the head, revealing it's endoskeleton body. With the robot now revealed, Ciel could ultimately fix it properly. She feared that Rokku would freak out because of how "scary" the endoskeleton looked. Also, she had to do welding, something that Cerveau or Doigt would normally do. However, they have called and said that they won't be back by before noon. This action was also kind of dangerous and she didn't want Rokku to get hurt in case something bad happens. Fortunately, her worries were put to rest while she did the welding process.

Ciel could use a special power source to hopefully power the energy core and stabilize it. This source was known as the  **C.I.E.L. System** , standing for  **C** _onvergent **I** gnition by  **E** nergen  **L** inkage_. This power source was created with the sole purpose of solving the Energy Crisis that was experienced in 23XX. Ciel put her heart and soul into developing this energy, and it all worked out in the end. This same source would be expanded and used for a future Energy Crisis in Cinq Ville, thanks to President Serpent of Slither Inc. This energy source was extremely powerful, and it made the robot's systems boot up. However, it wasn't quite "awake", just yet.

* * *

 

 **June 28, 2545**  

Sunrise came around, and Rokku yawned. He saw Ciel working on her computer with the number of wires attached the robot boy now decreased. It also looked newer and cleaner than it did previously. Rokku threw his jacket on and walked over to Ciel. She turned around and took off her visor.

"Good morning, Rokku." Ciel greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

Rokku nodded. "Uh-huh. But, did you sleep at all?"

Ciel shook her head. "No, I worked all night on the robot. I was too eager to stop. Good news though: I think I've just finished this robot."

"R-Really!?" Rokku exclaimed, getting excited. Ciel nodded in response. She proceeded to remove the wires from the robot. The fixed helmet resided on a desk nearby the lab table. The two stood in front of the robot, awaiting for the robot's system to boot up. Rokku crossed his fingers and Ciel held her hands together, both hoping their work wasn't for nothing.

As time passed, the robot's eyes opened, revealing dimmed eyes. It eventually brightened, revealing blue eyes. The robot blinked twice and shook it's head around. Once its vision was cleared, it was surprising to find two humans standing before it, looking very happy.

"Success...!" Ciel said, sighing in relief. "He's alive...!"

The robot blinked again, expressing a confused look. Ciel smiled as she saw the robot's expression. It further proved how human it was.

"Where...Where am I?" The robot asked, studying its surroundings.

"He speaks!" Rokku gasps jokingly.

Ciel took a step forward. "Hello there. You are currently in The Sanctuary, a safe residence where people live peacefully."

"Wh...Who are you?" The robot asked. Ciel further noted the tone the robot used. It was a tone of nervousness and uncertainty.

"Don't worry, you aren't in any trouble." Ciel assured. "My name is Ciel. Me, along with my assistant, Rokku, were responsible for restoring you."

"...Restoring...Me?" The robot repeated.

"Yes. You were awfully damaged when we found you. But you're okay now." Ciel explained. As the doctor did this, the robot blinked again, looking at his hands. He clutched them into a fist about three times before looking at the humans again.

"What's your name?" Rokku asked the robot.

The robot blinked once more. He had a childish expression and was still quite confused about the situation.

"Do you know your name?" Ciel asked, concerned.

The robot nodded. "My name is Rock Light..." The robot began. "Otherwise known as Mega Man..."

"Mega Man?" Rokku asked, puzzled by the name. He  _knew_  that he looked like a superhero, but even his name sounds like one.

Ciel, on the other hand, was surprised to hear the name. It made her instantly think of Mega Man X, the original leader of Neo Arcadia. More recollections popped up in her memory bank, but she was reluctant to share them publicly to Rokku and... Rock.

Instead, she wanted to know if... Rock, had any memories of its own. During the restoration process, she was unable to access its memories.

"Rock, do you have any recollection of your past?" Ciel asked, balancing her right arm on her left hand, while her right hand was placed her cheek.

Rock nodded. "Um... I was a helper robot, built with a function to help people..." Rock began. "...Though, I changed myself into a fighting robot so I could protect the people from dangerous robots who threatened peace... I don't...Ngh..."

Rock held onto his head, struggling to access his Memory Data. He shook his head, feeling slight pain just trying.

"Easy now," Ciel instructed. "If you can't access your memories right now, then don't try. Your memories should come back over time. After all, you have just awoken not too long ago."

Ciel began to ponder about what Rock has just told them. A fighting robot who protects people...? She has a feeling she has heard about such a tale. But, when has he fought robots as Mega Man? Even the word Mega Man, aside from referencing X, sounded familiar to her.

"Anyway, you should thank Rokku for you coming back to life." Ciel said, pushing Rokku towards Rock. "He's the one who found you. He was very determined to restore you."

Rokku smiled nervously. Rock just stared, a smile eventually forming on his face. "You... Saved me? Thank you."

Rokku smiled proudly, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling. "I-It's no biggie, really!" Rokku admitted. "I was really curious about what would happen if you were restored!"

A question crossed Ciel's mind; A question that needed to be asked. "Rock, what century do you think you're in?"

Rock placed a finger on his chin, thinking. "The 21st Century, right?"

Ciel looked at Rokku, who was puzzled. Instantly, Ciel knew that this robot was from either 200X or 20XX, and he was clearly an old model outfitted with recent Reploid technology. It astonished her that a robot from 500 years ago still exists to this day.

Rock, however, just now caught a term in Ciel's question: ' _What century do you **think**  you're in_'. He was confused, but before he could ask anything, Ciel beat him to the punch.

"Rock, you were born in the 21st Century. However, this is the future, the 26th Century in the year 2545." Ciel explained.

Rock was shocked to realize this.  _"Did I travel into the future or something?"_  Rock thought.

"It's pretty cool that you are a 'super fighting robot'!" Rokku chimed, sounding impressed.

Hearing that label attached to him, reminded him of his arm cannon. He held out his right hand and transformed it into an arm cannon.

"My Mega-Buster..." Rock muttered.

As Ciel continues to observe Rock, she begins to think about his other name, Mega Man. His Mega-Buster, as he called it, highly resembled the X-Buster, the arm cannon X possessed. With this knowledge, she begins to believe that Mega Man is the predecessor of X. This realization makes her question Rock again.

"Do you remember who created you?" Ciel asked.

Rock pondered. However, just trying to remember caused him pain again. "No... At least, not yet..."

"Well, at least you remember something..." Ciel said. "Can you get on your two feet?"

Rock started to move, sliding off the lab table and on his feet. Ciel instantly noticed that Rock was shorter than both of them, something she hadn't noticed when restoring him. Ciel thinks that he might be 4'11". Rock began to walk around the lab, further observing his surroundings.

"Yeah, I can walk just fine." Rock said, smiling. He then began to flex his arms around. Yep, that worked too.

"While we were working on you, we noticed you have some type of civilian form. Can you activate that on your own?" Ciel asked.

Rock nodded. Just like that, he transformed. He wore a blue T-Shirt with short white sleeves, black shorts and large blue boots, the same ones that he had in his battle armor. "Amazing..." Ciel said in awe. Knowing that Rock could move properly, she began to explain his current situation.

"Alright, Rock. You are currently in a new world; A world where technology is quite advanced than it was in the 21st Century." Ciel began. "Therefore, I would like you to get accustomed to the new world you are now living on. I suggest staying with Rokku. Is that alright with you, Rokku?"

"Of course it is!" Rokku cried. "We can be friends too! Being friends with an ancient robot is pretty cool, I'd say!"

Ciel giggled at his childish behavior. "Is that fine with you, Rock?"

Rock nodded. "Sure. After all, he did find me and help rebuild me. I'm thankful."

* * *

 

Having gotten along quite well since first meeting, Rokku and Rock decided to talk with people in the Sanctuary so that the robot turned reploid could get a taste of what the new world was like. It was also settled that Rokku could call Rock "Mega Man" or simply "Mega"; mostly because of name confusion and, more importantly, Rokku thinks calling him Mega is cooler. The boy simply could not resist calling him that given that he was a hero.

The boys would learn that this place wasn't just so for reploids, but for humans as well. Some ex-Resistance members such as Andrew and Hirondelle lived here, and others were people seeking peace in the form of The Sanctuary. It appeared that only the most trustworthy were aloud to take refugee here for there was not a single bad person in this utopian land. Although there was no bad person in this haven, Mavericks still lurked. Every once and a while, they would find this place and would quickly be disposed of by fighting reploids like Faucon and Vautour. They were a very minor issue towards the residents of The Sanctuary.

A few hours later after getting to know people in The Sanctuary and quickly befriending Rokku, Mega Man decides he wants to go get some fresh air.

"Hey, Ciel?" Mega approached the doctor. "If it's okay with you, Rokku and I would like to go outside."

"We won't be far, promise!" Rokku added.

Ciel pondered deeply. Mega Man was just restored a few hours ago. Would it be wise to let him go outside of The Sanctuary? Sure, Rokku would more likely accompany him, but Mavericks are still out there. The Sanctuary is very peaceful, true, but Mavericks do come around the perimeter sometimes. Under normal circumstances, she'd request that Faucon or Vautour keep an eye out for any wanderers, but they were currently not around at the moment. It would dangerous for Rokku and Mega Man to go out alone. While Mega Man  _did_  have a Mega-Buster, Ciel couldn't take any risks.

"Hmm, very well. I will have Menart accompany the both of you." Ciel said.

Mega grinned and fist pumped. "Alright!"

Ciel smiled at Mega Man's childish behavior. In some strange way, it sort of mirrored Rokku's behavior. In fact, the two even looked a little alike. They both had blue eyes, the both had spiky brown hair (although they are different in style), and they even dressed similar. Of course, one of them was clearly taller than the other. It was as if they were brothers... This coincidence was awfully strange...

Ciel disregarded her thoughts for the moment as she just so happened to find Menart coming back from the kitchen.

"Menart, I have a request for you," Ciel said to the teenage reploid. "Rokku and Mega want to go outside for just a little bit. I'd like to keep watch, okay?"

"Sure thing, Doc." Menart replied. He honestly didn't want to babysit the two and would much rather play hooky, but with Faucon and Vautour out collecting more materials,  _someone_  had to accompany the two and make sure they don't get blindsided. At the same time, Menart thought that the possibility of that happening was low. Nonetheless, he accepted Ciel's request.

"Promise me that you'll both return safe and sound." Ciel said. "I don't want anything bad to happen out there..."

"It's a promise, Ciel!" Rokku assured. "With Mega Man by my side, we'll be perfectly fine!"

With permission granted, Rokku, Mega, and Menart left The Sanctuary and out in the field. As the two boys walked, they have a conversation about the year 2545. Their conversation did keep them off track of how far they were traveling, but Menart was with them to make sure they didn't go too far... But he didn't appear to be doing his job quite well because he had headphones on and was listening to music... It appeared that Menart has gotten older in appearance, but his old habits remained the same.

* * *

  
In the forest (the same forest that Rokku, Faucon and Menart traveled through to get to The Sanctuary), Rokku and Mega Man were still having a conversation. All the while, Menart was close behind them holding a Buster-Rifle. He did not hear much of the conversation since he was wearing headphones.  
  
Fortunately, Mega Man was beginning to regain some of his memories. One of his memories was of his seemingly countless battles against some old man in a lab coat. He's unable to say who this foe was, but Mega can definitely say that he was someone who he despised greatly. The reploid was still unable to remember his creator, but he's getting faint voices that sound very familiar to him... A female voice... A voice coming from an old man... A voice that sounds really robotic, but also fanboy-like and nerdy... This was troubling the ancient hero. He really wanted his memories back and soon.  
  
Since Rokku had gotten so acquainted with Mega, Rokku had decided to tell him about his life. He felt that the two were close enough to be friends, but Rokku couldn't say for certain. After all, Rokku only has one friend thus far and he wasn't very social to newcomers. But he felt comfortable around Mega; not only because the robot turned reploid used to be a hero, but also they appeared to share common interests.  
  
As Rokku talked about his life, Mega was trying to comprehend all of what he has told him. Mega learned that Rokku had interest in networking since it has become such an important factor in life since it's resurgence. He has mentioned this interest to Ciel and others too; Even Ciel had grown interested over the years.  
  
"So, you're adopted?" Mega asked.  
  
"Uh-huh. Mom and Dad found me in a forest in Japan when they were in High School." Rokku explained. "They decided to take care of me, and now I'm a part of a  _pretty_  huge family~"  
  
"And, your family has knowledge of events that happened in the distant past?" Mega Man asked, to ensure he heard him right.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"What about the reploids?" Mega asked. "Do they know about their origins?"  
  
"Of course. Reploids were mass-produced in the 22nd Century, though I think that's common knowledge." Rokku further explained. He was not aware that not all knew of the reploids' origins. "They are able to think and act on their own without a function."  
  
Rokku then got a little sad. "But... Then the Maverick Wars began."  
  
"The Maverick Wars?" Mega questioned. "What was that?"  
  
"Because of some virus, reploids began to act really violent to the point that they were hurting people. Fortunately, the good guys were able to stop these Mavericks from their rampages and the virus would eventually go away. Though after that, a new war sparked almost immediately afterwards... It's called the Elf Wars, and it was the most horrible war to date..."  
  
It caused Mega Man to shiver, hearing these details.  
  
Rokku would continue explaining the story to the best of his ability. The Elf Wars were something his grandfather, Thaddeus, told him about before, but the details of them were a bit hazy for him. "Cyber-Elves were made to get rid of the virus, but then the Cyber-Elves went gonzo. The world was really in bad shape after the 4-year long war... From what I remember, 60% of the Humans and 90% of the Reploids were... killed..."  
  
Mega Man's eyes widened in horror. He stopped dead in his tracks, sitting down on a nearby rock. He covered his face with his hands, shaking his head repeatedly. Rokku was confused, but he heard Mega Man repeat the word,  ** _No_** , over and over. Menart took a moment to stop when he saw the two stopped. He took off one ear on his headphone to hear,  
  
"Hey, you guys good?" Menart asked.  
  
"Uhh, yeah. Just taking a break..." Rokku answered with a bit of uncertainty. He had some idea as to why Mega sat down, but not completely. Despite the uncertainty in Rokku's voice, Menart just threw on his headphones to continue listening to music, examining the area while the two boys took their "break".  
  
"Even though I've fought so hard... The wars against robots continue..." Mega Man sobbed. Rokku noticed tears actually escaping Mega's eyes and hearing what the reploid just said made him realize what had upset him. Just thinking about those bloody wars made Rokku shudder a little. "Even when peace is achieved, another madman rises up to ruin it for everyone...!"  
  
Rokku couldn't bare to watch Mega cry anymore. He got on his knees and placed a hand on his shoulder. He may not be the best comforter, but he would try his best.  
  
"H-Hey, Mega Man," Rokku began. Mega Man lowered his hands to reveal his crestfallen expression. "I... I know it's upsetting for humans and robots to fight each other, but... Let's look at the bright side! That was all in the past! Look at the good things that's happened since! Even when another madman rises up, a hero will rise up to deal with him or her! Peace isn't a fantasy!"  
  
Mega Man smiled a little. Rokku's optimism reminded him of himself based on the memories he was receiving at a steady pace. "Y-You're right..." Mega said. "Obviously, even after I disappeared, heroes stepped up to fight when others couldn't... I should be grateful since I probably inspired people everywhere."  
  
"That's more like it!" Rokku grinned, trying to push the bloody thoughts out of their minds. "I'm going to work hard to make sure the world is peaceful like the good old days!"  
  
Mega Man had to rewind back a bit. " _You're_  going to work hard?" He asked, not out of disrespect, but of curiosity.  
  
"Y-Yeah...! I want to change the Equality Law for the humans!" Rokku said, looking determined.  
  
"The Equality Law?" Mega Man said. "What's the matter with it?"  
  
Rokku frowned, looking down at the ground. He kicked a small rock into the bushes nearby before explaining himself. "After the wars ended, we all worked hard to restore the world back to normal." Rokku explained. Once more, this was based on what his parents and grandfather told him. "Then, the Sage Trinity, a group of three wise men, created Legion, the boding government of the entire world."  
  
"Whoa... The entire world...?" Mega repeated in awe.  
  
Rokku nodded and continued. "Yep, and they decided to make sure that there were no differences between humans and reploids. That's when the Equality Law was created. In the law, Reploids must have limited lifespans. They also have these weird upside down red triangles on their foreheads."  
  
"Limited lifespans, huh?" Mega said, a smiling slowly forming. "Well, that's not too bad. I mean, sure it sounds scary dying, but that makes reploids more like humans right?"  
  
"Yeah, well, I haven't gotten to the part about what humans have to do..." Rokku frowned, clenching his fists together. Mega Man noticed his shaking fists and began to grow concerned especially towards someone like Rokku who he seen as chipper and kind. From what he observed, Rokku didn't seem like the type to get angry; though in this case, something had upset him. "Humans must have mechanical bodies at a certain age..."  
  
Mega Man was shocked to hear this. "That... That doesn't sound right."  
  
"Tell me about it..." Rokku replied. "Because of this law, me and my family have to live in hiding, disguised as "humanoids" as they put it..."  
  
"So, you're breaking the law, huh..." Mega assumed. He assumed right.  
  
"Yep, and I'm wearing these fake reploid earplates as a disguise. I never even went to Legion and neither did my Mom or Dad, or anyone else in my family. If you want to get cybernetic implants, you have to go to Legion to get them."  
  
"Normally, breaking the law is bad, but you seem to have a good reason..." Mega said with a hint of uncertainty. "...Right?"  
  
"I don't know if it's a good reason to other people, but I think it is." Rokku said. "You shouldn't be forced to have implants. It changes how humans were made. We should choose to become cyborgs or not. Reploids having life spans are good enough. In fact, I think it's great...!"  
  
Rokku turned to Mega. "You...You agree with me, right?"  
  
Mega Man nodded. "I agree. You shouldn't try to merge two species who are clearly different physically and genetically. I believe the two can get along, but merging the two isn't right at all."  
  
"Yeah. It's like trying to merge an anthropomorphic dog with a human because they want to make things "equal"." Rokku said, rolling his eyes. "Sounds pretty darn lame if you ask me."  
  
"Has anyone aside from you and your family object to this law?" Mega asked.  
  
Rokku nodded. "Yes... There are a few people who don't like the law like we don't. But, if we don't follow the law, we'll be branded as Mavericks, and I don't want to know what they do people like us... It's just scary thinking about it..."  
  
"How are you going to go about dealing with this issue, though?" Mega asked.  
  
"I don't know... There are plenty who actually like the human part of the law and I'm not going to call them wrong for liking it, but I just wish there was a choice."  
  
"But, I'm not going to worry about that now! I'm going to be an adventurer just like my parents!" Rokku said, sounding like his usual self again.  
  
Mega smiled and hopped on his feet. "That's sounds like a good plan to me." While Mega Man was happy for Rokku, he started to question his own existence. Mega Man was brought back to life. What was he going to do now? Was he going to fight against these so-called Mavericks? Would he ditch Rokku after he helped rebuild him? What was he going to do?  
  
Rokku and Mega Man were beginning to walk back to The Sanctuary. Menart took notice and walked with them. However, the sound of firearm being shot froze the boys in place. They saw a energy bullet pass and miss them. They group quickly turned around to find five red eyes in the darkness, hiding between the crowded trees.  
  
"Uh-oh..." Rokku said, shivering a little.  
  
"W-What's the matter?" Mega Man asked.  
  
The five red eyes approached them, stepping out of the shadows and revealing themselves. All five were foot soldier mechaniloids, better known as Mavericks. Four of them were known as Galleon Hunters, and the fourth and last one was a Galleon Bazooka. They were dangerous to defenseless humans. It's really bad for Rokku, however. Since he does not have cybernetic implants, he's more fragile.  
  
"Crap! Mavericks!" Menart yelled, throwing off his headset.  
  
The four Galleon Hunters point their Busters at the boys and open fire. Rokku and Mega Man take cover, hiding behind a tree while Menart fought back. Unfortunately, the Galleons just blew the tree in half, knocking it down and almost crushing Rokku. Mega Man fortunately pulled him away before he got crushed. Mega Man quickly took heroic action and transformed into his battle armor to help Menart; the teenage reploid was willing to accept his help. Mega Man pulled out his Mega-Buster and aimed it at the Galleon Hunters.  
  
He shot a few energy bullets, destroying one of the Galleon Hunters while Menart took down another. The Galleon Bazooka released a missile aiming right towards them. Rokku evaded the missile, screaming in fear. Mega Man took note of Rokku taking cover, meaning he and Menart could protect him. He took center stage and began to shoot more energy bullets from his Mega-Buster. He destroyed the second Galleon Hunter, leaving only two more Galleons. He dodged three energy bullets from the last Galleon Hunter and prepared to shoot more from his Mega-Buster.  
  
_CHOK!  
_  
"What!?" He cried.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
"What's going on?" Menart asked Mega.  
  
The blue reploid suddenly couldn't shoot from his Mega-Buster, no matter how much he tried. Suddenly, Menart screamed as he got whacked in the chest by a Galleon Bazooka, knocking him on the ground. The Maverick turned it's attention to Mega. It loomed over Mega, causing him to look at it. The Galleon used it's large firearm to whack Mega Man against a nearby tree. Rokku saw Mega Man get hurt and Menart scrambling to get his Buster-Rifle to move into cover and keep up the fight. Tears formed in his eyes as he was simply watching his new friend get hurt. He couldn't let them kill Menart or Mega Man; Especially after he and Ciel worked so hard to restore the ancient hero. He had to control his fear and take action.  
  
He revealed himself, grabbing a large piece of wood from the broken tree and ran towards the last two Galleons, screaming in the process. Getting close and personal, Rokku used to the wood to whack the Galleon Bazooka's head. The wood broke immediately when Rokku used his strength to hit the Galleon. Although he did damage it a little, it wasn't enough to destroy it completely. As a consequence, Rokku was whacked by the Galleon Bazooka, sending him to the ground. The Galleon Hunter from behind proceeded to shot a energy bullet at the human's direction. The bullet missed as Rokku tried to move away, but it did not miss completely. The energy bullet grazed Rokku's left arm. His eyes shrunk and he yelped in pain. He cringed onto his left arm as it burned from the energy bullet. It was but a scratch, but the bleeding had begun. He panted heavily and held back his tears, as he was determined to get as close as Menart and Mega as possible. However, his plan seemed to be thwarted when the Galleon Hunter stood in his path and proceeded to aim at Rokku, preparing to shoot again.  
  
Mega Man couldn't let that happen. He kicked the Galleon Bazooka as hard as he could and tried to protect Rokku before he was killed. Rokku's heart settled a little as he thought he was going to die. However, the danger was not yet over. The Galleon Hunter aimed it's buster and prepared to shoot once again.  
  
"Look out!" Menart cried, shooting down another Galleon Hunter, leaving only one left.  
  
Mega Man quickly dashed over to his new friend, hoping he could at least take the shot. As he approached the human, Mega Man's chest began to shine brightly. Everything was going in slow motion. Mega Man jumped in front of Rokku to take the shot that the Galleon Hunter was prepared to release. Mega Man screamed, getting ready to take the pain. Rokku watched in awe as Mega was willing to put his life at risk for him. Mega Man's chest area began to shine even brighter, eventually engulfing him in a bright light. Rokku's teary eyes couldn't believe Mega Man was glowing. However, he noticed that Mega Man was... merging with him...!? He felt Mega Man's armor materialize with him. Rokku began to scream as it was somehow painful. The Galleon Hunter was pushed back by the light, standing beside the Galleon Bazooka. Menart looked on in awe and confusion.  
  
The light then shimmered down, showing Rokku on the ground... He had Mega Man's helmet on his head, his brown hair sticking out through the helmet...? He also had on Mega Man's arms and boots...? He's even wearing 'briefs'... However, he still had on his regular jacket, shirt and pants. All in all, Rokku looked....ridiculous....  
  
Rokku screamed upon seeing him in weird armor. "Wh-Wh-What happened!? What's with the get-up!?"  
  
Rokku suddenly heard Mega Man speak out loud, despite not being anywhere in sight. "Oooohhh... Huh? WHOA!" Mega screamed from...somewhere. "I can't feel my arms! I can't feel my legs! I can't feel anything! How can I speak!? Where am I!?"  
  
This was all very confusing indeed. What caused them to fuse like that? However, the remaining Galleons have been quite patient thus far. The Galleon Hunter shot energy bullets at Rokku, but they were blocked when he used his arms to defend himself. Surprisingly, it did not hurt as much. In fact, the burning pain that was on his arm is gone! The wound wasn't there anymore either! What in the world is happening?  
  
"I don't know how, but I think we fused together..." Mega Man said, sounding scared about the situation.  
  
"F-Fused?" Rokku repeated, taking cover so he doesn't get shot at anymore. "How can that happen?! How  _DID_  it happen?!"  
  
"Like I said, I don't know. However, you seem to be wearing pieces of my battle armor. If that's the case, then you should be able to use my Mega-Buster... Assuming that it's not jammed."  
  
"Your Mega-Buster? How do I use that?" Rokku asked. Suddenly, a Mega-Buster appeared in his right hand. He panicked upon this sudden realization.  
  
"WHAAA! I-I-I can't feel my hand anymore!" Rokku whined.  
  
"Th-That's okay! Just aim the Mega-Buster at those Mavericks!" Mega instructed, trying to sound calm about this silly situation.  
  
Rokku swallowed his fear and aimed his Mega-Buster at the approaching Galleons. He aimed, but he didn't know how to shoot. He wasn't holding onto a trigger or anything.  
  
"Hang on... Just focus and release your energy!" Mega instructed.  
  
"But, I can't feel my hand! How do I even shoot?!"  
  
"I don't know! It's easier for me because I'm a robot!" Mega argued. "Just think about shooting or something!"  
  
Rokku did just that and surprisingly he released an energy bullet. It hit the Galleon Hunter but more shots were needed to finish it off. Unfortunately, Rokku was not prepared for the recoil and got knocked on his bottom.  
  
"Hey! You did it!" Mega Man congratulated. "Keep it up until they are defeated!"  
  
Rokku nodded and kept shooting. There was little to no effort put into this and in no time flat, the Galleons were destroyed. He had done it.  
  
"I... I did it...?" Rokku said, holding onto his Mega-Buster. He shook his head violently. "H-Hey, but how did we fuse together like that?!"  
  
"I. Don't. Know." Mega repeated for the third time. He did not mean to sound agitated, but this whole scenario was just as confusing for him as it was for Rokku.  
  
Menart appeared after being brought back from reality. He was too stunned at the sudden fusion to help out. He was fortunate that Rokku had it all covered.  
  
"You two just fused!" Menart exclaimed. "That's crazy!"  
  
"You're telling me..." Rokku whimpered.  
  
"Let's not waste any more time here though." Mega Man said. "Let's go see Dr. Ciel. Maybe she knows something about our sudden fusion."

With that, Menart and Rokku (and Mega Man) ran back to The Sanctuary...

* * *

  
Without wasting anymore time, Rokku, Mega Man, and Menart explain the situation to Dr. Ciel. Ciel was a little upset knowing that they got attacked; especially towards their supposed bodyguard, Menart, but she dismissed him and the prior incident over the current situation. She appeared to be surprised, yet there was a hint that she wasn't.  
  
"So, I was right after all." Ciel muttered.  
  
"Right about what?" Mega Man questioned, still talking out loud from somewhere.  
  
"This fusion was born because of Biometal properties.." Ciel said.  
  
"Biometal?" Rokku repeated. He remembers her speaking of it yesterday. However, he wished to know more now that he knew that it had something to do with his unexpected fusion with Mega.  
  
"What exactly is Biometal?" Mega Man asked, sharing Rokku's interest.  
  
Ciel began explaining. "A Biometal is a mechanical artifact that is able to merge with a person, which in turn gives the user amazing powers and abilities. The process of fusing with a host is called 'Megamerge', and they are able to do this with the  **M.E.G.A.**  System; standing for  **M** eta- **E** ncapsulated  **G** ranule  **A** wareness. When the Biometal Megamerges with a host, they become the host's living armor. This also creates a new being known as a  **Mega Man**."  
  
Rokku raised a brow at the last part. He was going to ask about it, but his friend beat him to the punch.  
  
"A Mega Man?" Mega asks. "I hope I'm not sounding like an egomaniac but... It's named after me?"  
  
Ciel nods. "Yes. Me and my crew found plenty of info relating to Biometal. I found a diary entry in one of the facilities and it stated that the megamerged entity is named after a ancient hero of the 21st Century that proceeded the one that lived for over a century... That hero being you, and you are the predecessor of another great hero."  
  
Mega Man thought deeply about this. This was a lot to absorb and it was difficult given that he practically jumped over four centuries ahead. He did not know who his successor was, but he was sure he or she did well to try and maintain peace. Aside from that, Mega was curious about one other thing.  
  
_"Who could've made Biometal?"_  He thought.  
  
Ciel held her hand to her chest. "When Rokku and I were working on you, I noticed properties similar to Biometal. I would know this because I am responsible for creating six Biometals."  
  
And Mega Man's previous question was answered.  
  
"You are?" Rokku asked. He didn't seem too surprised, but that was primarily because she said that she was using Biometal to prolong her life. He also had no idea about the power of a Biometal.  
  
Ciel nodded. "Yes... I created the six Biometals based on a single Biometal known as a Model W. It's evil and it has the power to corrupt others. This power of corruption is what caused one of our comrades to go berserk a long time ago. My comrades bought me enough time to escape while they fought him off. I fear that I was the only survivor..."  
  
Ciel shook her head, trying to not remember that memory. "A-Anyway, it's obvious that someone was working on you Mega, and whoever it was wanted you to merge with a host."  
  
"I see..." Mega said, sighing.  
  
"But quick question," Rokku began. "How can we... uh, separate?"  
  
Ciel smiled. "Just relax and calm yourself. If you do just that, you'll be separated."  
  
Rokku took a heavy inhale and then exhaled loudly. A bright light quickly flashed and Mega Man fell on the ground. Rokku no longer had Mega Man as his armor.  
  
"Hey! We're back to normal!" Rokku exclaimed.  
  
Ciel placed her hand on her chin with a sly smile on her face. She thought deeply about this ancient hero and the young boy. "Mega Man, I would like to further analyze you and fix any other problems you may have."  
  
Mega Man was brought to his feet thanks to Rokku. "Um, sure." Mega brought out his Mega-Buster. "My Mega-Buster seems to be busted. It stopped working after I shot a few rounds."  
  
Ciel nodded. "Okay, then that will be the first thing I work on."  
  
"Hey, do you think I can help?" Rokku asked.  
  
"Hmm, not this time, Rokku." Ciel said with a smile. She could see his disappointment, something she expected. "I'm going to need to be alone just for a little bit."

* * *

  
With knowledge on their sudden fusion, Ciel begins to work on Mega Man a little more. Rokku wasn't allowed to help this time around. It wasn't that Rokku was a bad assistant, but Ciel wanted him to help out others in The Sanctuary. Instead, Cerveau, who had recently returned from his trip with a lot of rare materials, decided to work with Ciel on Mega Man. Ciel puts Mega Man to sleep, shutting down his systems in order to properly work on him.  
  
"So that's the ancient robot from the 21st Century, eh?" Cerveau questioned, observing the body.  
  
"That's right. Isn't it amazing?" Ciel asked in awe. "We get to see firsthand a creation from 500 years ago."  
  
"Yes, it truly is amazing," Cerveau admitted. "But, you told me that Rock Light possesses properties similar to Biometal?"  
  
Ciel nodded. "I'm just assuming things, but I think whoever was trying to rebuild him had the intent of merging him with a host."  
  
"I see. However, what do you intend on doing?" Cerveau asked.  
  
Ciel smiled. "I'm going to properly fix him and be very thorough during this process. Seeing Rokku and Mega Man megamerge like that has given me some ideas... Cerveau, will you assist me?"  
  
Cerveau nodded. "Of course."  
  
While Rokku was traveling with Hibou, Faucon and Menart for more Ceratanium Crystals, Ciel and Cerveau were able to continuously work on their new project. Doigt also provided assistance once he was informed of Ciel's plan. During this project, Ciel put much thought into networking, something that she's grown to learn over the years now that the need for it has increased tremendously. Fortunately, Doigt was able to help with that department since too he has knowledge of networking.  
  
One thing Ciel noticed when Rokku and Mega Man were fused is that it looked... Well, silly and quite frankly, incomplete. She seeks to fix that. By further analyzing Mega Man and the M.E.G.A. System implanted within him, she made a important discovery: Mega Man would not be able to fuse properly with Rokku without a tool. Whoever tried to rebuild him did things differently with the M.E.G.A. System that make it tougher for the megamerge to work correctly. While she has noted that Mega Man was once able to become a Biometal, too much has been done to the system for him to become a complete Biometal. Besides, she had worked so hard to fix him previously, so why would she just change him into a Biometal?  
  
With Cerveau and Doigt's assistance, Ciel was able to work on a device; a device that was inspired by Menart's comic books and Biometal. This device took days to complete and Rokku, while sometimes questioning Mega's whereabouts, was quite occupied. He was technically helping them by grabbing more material with the others.  
  
Ciel and Cerveau even developed a special chip that would be embedded into Mega Man. The device looked like a gauntlet-sized wristwatch of some kind. Its design was rather simple and it had a mechanical "face"; a "face"stylized in the same manner as Biometal.  
  
Eventually, the project along with Mega Man was completed 8 days later...

* * *

 

 **July 6, 2545**

Rokku stood in the main entryway with his arms folded and smile on his face. Ciel told him that there was a surprise waiting for him. Rokku, being the childish kid that he was known for, was excited for this surprise. Moments after waiting, Ciel, Cerveau and Mega Man appeared through the corridor to meet him at the entryway.

"I'm sorry we kept you waiting for so long." Ciel apologized.

Rokku walked over to Mega Man, hugging him tightly. "It's okay, Dr. Ciel." Mega Man returned the hug.

"It's good to see you again, Mega." Rokku grinned after releasing his friend from his hug. "How are you feeling after spending over a week in hibernation~?"

"I'm feeling fine, thanks." Mega responded.

Ciel looked at Cerveau and smiled at the two's interactions. If Rokku and Mega Man weren't friends before, then they definitely were now.

The doctor looked back at the boys and clapped her hands together. "We've worked tirelessly on our new project."

"New project?" Rokku asked. He looked at Mega Man who just smiled. Clearly, Mega Man knew something that Rokku didn't. The boy was really curious on what they had to show off. Something Rokku didn't notice is that Ciel was hiding her right arm behind her back.

"It's unfortunate Doigt isn't able to join us for the revelation." Cerveau said. "He worked just as hard as us to complete this project."

"Without further ado, I present to you," Ciel revealed what she was hiding. "The **Artificial Encapsulated Granule of Inordinate Synthesis**!...Or just  **AEGIS** for short...!"

Rokku stared in awe at the device. It looked so new and brightly colored, just like Mega Man's main colors on his battle armor. It was like a gauntlet-sized wristwatch, and it had a "face" on it. Though the design was quite simplistic. He had no idea what its purpose was.

"Please put it on your wrist." Ciel instructed. Rokku took the AEGIS and examined it further before doing what was asked of him. He slipped his left hand through the AEGIS, fitting completely. It looked pretty big but it was pretty light.

"We should thank you Rokku, since you technically assisted us in the development of the AEGIS." Cerveau explained. "By helping collect the necessary materials, you and the others made the project go by so much faster."

Rokku was glad to know he contributed somehow, but he didn't exactly know what this device did. "Happy to help, but...what does it do?" He figured it was pretty important given how much they were hyping it up.

Ciel giggled. "Allow me to explain."

Ciel waved her finger, explaining the situation. "The day we discovered that you and Mega Man could megamerge, it made me want to analyze Mega further. While you were asleep that night when we were finishing up Mega Man's restoration, I noticed that he had similar properties to Biometal. However, you two would never be able to fuse properly without a device to stabilize and perfect the transformation. This sparked the development of AEGIS!"

"As the AEGIS is a by-product of Biometal, there are some similarities in it's design such as the front surface." Cerveau added.

"The frontal surface of the device takes after Mega's unusual Biometal form." Ciel stated. "Mega can no longer transform into a Biometal though. Since Mega desires to walk around on his own two feet, a Biometal form is unnecessary, wouldn't you agree?"

Rokku had mentioned that networking was one of his interests, though he never thought that such a thing would be incorporated into this...device.

"When we were developing the device, Cerveau, Doigt and myself also developed a special chip known as the  **MEGA** **-Chip**. This data chip is embedded into Mega's systems so the megamerge can be perfected. The chip is essential for making megamerge a possibility." Ciel explained. "I should note that the AEGIS' material is very strong and resilient. Nothing should be able to break it since it's like a Mettaur hard hat."

"A Mettaur? I thought they were called Metools?" Rokku questioned.

"They go by many name variations." Ciel giggled once more. "Anyway, with this device, you may fuse properly. Please, try to megamerge."

"Alright, so how do I megamerge?" Rokku asked.

"Simple. Focus." Ciel explained. "Just think about it and it will happen!"

That...didn't sound very convincing. It sounded silly too.

In any case, Rokku nodded and did just that. Suddenly, Mega Man's chest area began to shine brightly just like last time. However, the AEGIS' eyes had also shined once more. Rokku watched as Mega Man quickly changed into tiny little particles. The particles entered the AEGIS and a light engulfed Rokku. Once the light shimmered down, Ciel and Cerveau found results.

Rokku now had on Battle Armor that resembled Mega Man's armor, but with a slightly new design. The color was a darker shade of blue than usual but still had the heroic light to it. Rokku was wearing a black bodysuit that many Humans wore. He even had white fingertips on his fingerless gloves.

Over that bodysuit was the armor. Rokku had on Mega Man's helmet, but with changes. It's blue and it has a cyan exclamation mark symbol on the top. He has gray ear plates unlike the usual cyan. The helmet has a cyan trim at the sides of the helmet with two red circles in that section. This trim connects to the ear and on the back of the helmet in a line fashion. He has a blue neck collar that's connected to his battle vest which acted as his chest plate. There was a large square in the center of the chest plate as well.

He's wearing the AEGIS in his left arm and a regular gauntlet arm guard on his right arm, with a charge meter on it. He's wearing briefs with a half square on the top, and some half squares near the exit way for his legs. He's wearing large blue boots with a square design on the front top area near where his feet enter. There's also gray "ear" plates on the sides of the boots, a large silver plate in the heel area and soles colored dark gray. Something that should be easily noticed is that Rokku's hair is mostly sticking inside of the helmet and that his hair is sticking out in his back into four spikes. Also, his hair is black for reasons unknown.

"Whoa..." Rokku muttered. He looked cooler than he did before. He looked like a genuine hero, not a clown like before. He took a look at his wristdevice to see the "eyes" shine for but a moment.

"Hi!" Mega waved, chipperly.

Rokku looked around but immediately he noticed Mega standing right next to him.

"Mega Man! How'd you get there?!" Rokku asked, sounding happy yet confused.

Cerveau looked at Ciel with a confused look on his face. He saw Rokku looking at his right seemingly surprised and yet...no one was next to him.

In Rokku's point of view, however, Mega Man was standing beside him. But he looked like a hologram or a spirit. He was also face to face with Rokku, which is strange since Mega was shorter than Rokku, but he appeared to be...floating.

"Mega, you're standing next to me? But....We just fused together!"

"I'm a little confused myself, but I can feel that I've merged with you just as planned!" Mega Man stated.

"It appears that you can see Mega Man." Ciel said, stepping forward. "And yet Cerveau cannot... Perhaps Mega Man is a ghost to certain people now~?"

"W-W-What!? I-I can't be dead!" Mega Man shouted in fear.

Ciel giggled. "I was only kidding. You are not a ghost, but I cannot quite explain this situation. Biometals don't have a "spiritual form" and yet you sort of do... I do know this for certain now; In the eyes of regular people, you cannot be seen, but you  _can_  be heard."

"I...see...." Mega answered with a sigh of relief.

"Using certain functions from Transervers, we were able to integrate a similar function in Mega Man's MEGA-Chip." Ciel added. "In order for you both to fuse, Mega Man will be converted into program data and enter the AEGIS. From there, Mega Man will be materializing armor around you. Don't you feel stronger?"

"Yeah, I do!" Rokku said, smiling heroically.

"From here on out, I'll be your navigator and even provide you with information." Mega Man explained. "At least we know where my voice is coming from this time!"

"Yeah, I agree with ya there, partner~!" Rokku agreed, laughing.

"With this fusion, I guess this makes new Mega Man!" Mega quipped.

This suddenly gives Ciel an idea as she smiles.

"You do have a point, Mega. Since you are now megamerged, I think it's appropriate if we acknowledge you as  **Model M**."

Rokku thought about the name. It sounded rather boring for a superhero name. However, he did not even think about  _why_  Ciel and co. gave him the AEGIS and why they did what they did to Mega Man. No, he was far too focused on what was happening now; And quite frankly, Rokku didn't seem to like the name.

"Model M? Sounds a little boring, to be honest." Rokku said. "I mean, this is the return of Mega Man, so shouldn't he get a cooler sounding name?"

Ciel smiled. Typically, Biometals are known by a Model and a letter afterwards. However, she could perhaps make an exception since Mega Man wasn't technically a Biometal. Taking Rokku's words into consideration, she conjured up a new name. "Alright, then how about,  **Mega Man Neo**?"

"The word "Neo" originates from Ancient Greek, meaning "new" or "young". Sounds fitting, does it not?" Ciel asked.

Rokku grinned. "Yeah! Mega Man Neo! I love it!"

"So do I! I completely approve of it!" Mega agreed.

Ciel giggled happily. "Okay then! From this moment on, when you megamerge, you shall be known as... _ **Mega Man Neo~!**_ "

However, the celebration was cut short when Doigt appeared. He held a device similar to the one Menart had before. But, Doigt appeared to be appalled. "Ciel, we have a critical issue!"

Ciel and Cerveau instantly turned around, giving Doigt their attention.

"What's the problem?" Ciel asked sternly.

"Mavericks are sighted and they approaching the Sanctuary...!" Doigt explained, trying to sound calm. "The readings are higher than usual."

Ciel's eyes widened at the readings. "Oh no..."

Suddenly, Faucon bursts through the front doors, looking unusually worried.

"We've got a large group of Mavericks approaching us!" Faucon informed.

"No... No way..." Ciel said, feeling upset. They haven't had a reading this large for a long time.

"Don't worry, me and Rokku will deal with it!" Mega said.

"We will?" Rokku, currently as Mega Man Neo, asked.

The question caught Mega off guard. He sounded a little annoyed. "YES, we will."

"I mean, of course, we will!" Neo said, trying to restate what he meant to say. "What I mean is that we are going to take on that entire Maverick army? By ourselves?"

"Listen to yourself," Mega said rolling his eyes. "WE are together! WE can handle this no problem! Don't you feel the surge of power flowing through you?"

"Yeah, I can..." Neo whimpered. Truth be told, he was a little afraid. However, he needed to suck it up and demonstrate their combined power!

He shook his head and looked at Ciel. "Alright then! We will fend off the Mavericks while you guys hang back!"

Faucon swung his arm for emphasis in his upcoming question. "Are you insane?! You can't possibly handle that entire group alone!"

"Sure we can!" Mega responded. "We have to protect you guys, that's our job!"

"Er..." Neo wasn't so sure about this... However, he couldn't let the Mavericks attack the Sanctuary.

"Come on Rokku! I'll teach you as we fight!" Mega Man promised.

Neo nodded. "Okay!"

"Good luck...!" Ciel told them.

With that, Mega Man Neo rushed through the doors. From afar, he can see a dozen Galleons heading towards the Sanctuary. Alongside the Galleons were a few Moloids, three Grizzybears, and a couple of Cutting Gyros. There were Galleon Hunters, Galleon Bazookas, a Galleon Sledder and Galleon Wings. So many Mavericks to fight off.

Neo gulped and ran towards the Mavericks. He quickly summoned his Mega-Buster by focusing on said weapon. This felt different this time around. He could still feel his right hand and he was actually holding onto a trigger. Summoning the Buster also felt a lot more natural than before as he had complete control over his actions.

"Quick lesson!" Mega Man began. "As you can tell, you are now holding onto an actual trigger. Keep clicking it for rapid fire. Hold the trigger to charge your shots. We have two levels of charged shots: semi and max. Semi takes the quickest time to charge but Max takes just a little longer!"

"Okay!" Neo said, understanding the directions.

"Also, keep in mind that you can use either arm for your Mega-Buster! You can use two at once, but I don't recommend it!" Mega Man warned.

"W-Why not?" Neo asked suspiciously.

"I don't know, I just have this feeling!" Mega Man said. "Anyway, get ready Rokku!"

Neo finally got in close range of the enemies.  _"Those near mechaniloids looked a lot smaller from far away..."_  Neo thought.  _"...I don't remember them being this big...!"_

"Don't hesitate! Just go for it!" Mega Man instructed.

Neo held onto the trigger, dodging a Grizzybear's devastating slash. It amazed the boy how quickly he was able to react. "Good evasion!" Mega complimented. "With me as your partner, you can react much faster than usual!"

Neo was surprised by his quick reaction. He just...dodged it like it was nothing... He questioned how he did that, but he began to feel some confidence after that one evasion.

"Th-That's pretty cool...!" Neo admitted with a grin.

He aimed his Mega-Buster at a Grizzybear. During his evasion, he had reached maximum charge. He released the trigger, unleashing a large energy blast that ripped the Grizzybear in half, it's pieces falling and bouncing off the ground. In moments, the Grizzybear exploded. Neo felt happy. He felt good. He felt strong!  _"This is just like a video game...!"_ He thought.

Soon, a trio of Galleon Hunters approached and opened fire. Neo was able to dodge the shots and released a couple of energy bullets from his Mega-Buster, destroying them with a couple of shots. A Moloid appeared before Neo and slammed it's hammer down on the ground. The impact sent him flying back just a little, but he stood his ground. He ran back to the Moloid, saving a charged shot just for it. Once close enough, he released a max-leveled charged shot, destroying the Moloid but its hammer fell on the ground. This gave the hero an idea.

Grabbing the Moloid's hammer, he smashed the Galleon Bazooka before it could launch a missile. He used the hammer to knock off the Galleon that was hanging below the sledder, causing it to fall on the ground. He proceeded to smash the head in pieces and threw the hammer at the rider on the sledder, destroying that Galleon too.

He turned to the last two Grizzybears and a Moloid, also observing the two Galleon Wings in the sky shooting a couple of rounds. Neo dodged the blasts and released a charged shot at the Moloid, stealing it's hammer and using it for the Grizzybears while dodging the Galleon Wing's shots. Using the Hammer, Neo prevented the Grizzybear from slashing him by breaking the Grizzybear's arm. He then released a charged shot at the other Grizzybear, destroying that one, and he smashed the Grizzybear that had no arm with the hammer.

The Galleon Wings decided to descend to tackle into the blue fighter. He used the Hammer to try and whack them, but failed. He threw the hammer at them but missed. It was decided that he'd try to get up close and personal, jumping in the air. He was amazed at how high he was jumping, getting six feet off the ground! He kicked the single Galleon Wing on the ground and released a semi-charged shot, destroying it. He then charged up his Mega-Buster for maximum charge to finish off the last mechaniloid in sight. He jumped and released it in the Galleon's face, destroying it.

Mega Man Neo was victorious!

"Wow...! We're really strong...!" Neo exclaimed. He didn't know he was capable of fighting like he did. He always thought of himself as a wimp because his fighting skills were a little lacking, but his fight against a couple of Mavericks that would've normally terrified him proved otherwise!

"Heh, you adapted to this form easier than we thought! Good job!" Mega Man complimented. "You are a quick learner, Rokku!"

"Thanks, Mega! I think this form is making me feel stronger and faster!" Neo said. If what his friend said was true, then Neo was beginning to really become the new Mega Man.

Ciel and the others had watched Neo's battle closely. All of them were in awe of what the kid had done in no time flat. Without him, getting rid of the Mavericks would've been troublesome and time-consuming.

"Wow... He's almost like X..." Faucon muttered.

Ciel smiled. "Those two will get along very well... Especially since Rokku adapted to the Megamerge quicker than I expected."

"The readings have disappeared. I suppose the large Maverick reading was a false alarm." Doigt said, lowering his device.

"I guess those Mavericks were nothing more than punching bags for the kid, huh?" Faucon quipped.

Ciel smiled at Mega Man Neo jumping up and down in victory. She smiled, feeling hope for the young boy and the ancient robot who was officially his friend.


End file.
